Golden Sun: Water and Wind
by Datenma
Summary: [IsaacIvan, etc] You know the drill. Hero sets out to save the world from destruction. Tiered of that? Let's add a little twist to that. Read and find out what happens! Shonen-ai warning. Don't like, don't read. R&R!
1. Elemental Stars

Water and Wind

By Padfoot-chan

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the GS characters. I only own Okami, Yoru, Ryou, Daisuke, and Mamoru. Aoshi belongs to Ivan and Kanata and Amiko belong to Hoshi (aka Felix-chan ^^).

Notes: Shonen-ai warning! Don't like, don't read. Flames shall be handed to Okami and he shall throw them in the fires of Hell where they belong. I also am quite mad at Kraden, so I make Robin say things that he normally would not around the old man. Anyway, Hammet is also rather rude (especially to Yoru) and you may notice this when you get to later parts. GS couples: Robin/Ivan and Felix/Picard.

R+R and I'll love you forever! ^^

Chapter One: Elemental Stars

Thunder crackled off in the distance and a small boy turned over in his bed, a cold sweat breaking out on his pale face. Voices floated around in his head, but they came and went far too quickly for him to latch onto one and understand what the voices were trying to say to him. The boy sat up in his bed, unable to take the voices any longer. He pushed his sweaty bangs out of his deep blue eyes as he tried to recall bits and pieces of the dream he had been having before the voices and the rumble of thunder had drawn him out of his reverie.

Then he remembered something from the dream. It was as if he were floating above the ground in a large room. Sparkling water filled the chamber on the bottom floor and small pillars scattered around the room led from a large platform with a door on it to four smaller platforms where four statues stood. Each statue held an orb in its stone hands, each a different color. One was a pale azure, the next a golden yellow, the one across from that was a deep violet, and the last one was a fiery crimson. A young man with short, messy dirty blond hair suddenly appeared through the doorway and then the dream faded before he could figure out what it could possible mean.

Before he could think about his dream any further, there was a knock on his door. He turned and muttered a feeble yes. "Okami, it's me, Yoru. Your foster parents asked me to come here, can I come in?" The boy sitting on the bed nodded and said yes once again. The doorknob twisted and the door to Okami's room was slowly pushed open. Yoru, a boy two years older than Okami, walked into the room and crossed the distance from the door to the bed in a few quick strides.

Yoru gazed down at Okami with his fierce golden eyes and smiled. Okami returned the smile, "What are you doing up this late, Yoru? I thought that you would still be in your house, sleeping." The older boy shook his head, tossing his light blue hair from side to side. Okami lifted an eyebrow as he leaned back against his pillow.

"I sensed that something is happening far from here, I was wondering if you sensed it as well." Okami closed his eyes and searched for anything odd happening around his hometown. He had almost given up hope of finding anything when he felt a surge of power emitting from somewhere in the north.

Okami's eyes fluttered open and he turned to Yoru, nodding quickly, "Something is happening. In the far north, a strong power is building." Okami paused for a moment; "It's near the town of Vault…so that means that something in Haidia Village is happening."

"Haidia?" asked Yoru, eyes widening in surprise, "But isn't that where the four Elemental Stars are kept? Someone could be trying to steal the Elemental Stars, don't you think?"

"Even if someone had been trying to steal the Stars, they won't be able to get to them. The Energists of Haidia have guarded them well ever since they were taken out of the Lighthouses and placed in the Sol Sanctum in Mt. Aleph. They will not let anything happen to the Stars as long as they know that the Legendary Warriors are out there," whispered Okami, lowering his voice when he heard movement downstairs, "What would you have us do? It is the middle of the night and Haidia Village is a week's walk away at best. There are bandits on the way as well as animals that could tear us to shreds."

"I know, but it just doesn't feel right sitting around while someone is trying to get to the Elemental Stars. I understand that there isn't anything that we can do from here, but still…" Okami patted him on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile, "I should go home now, my parents don't know that I'm out and I would rather keep it that way." Yoru turned away from Okami and walked out the door.

When he heard the door click, Okami turned to look out the window, his eyes narrowing as he turned his attention to the north. He could just barely see a dark cloud hanging over the mountain range near the town of Haidia Village. There was something unusually foreboding about the clouds hanging over the mountains that made the young boy climb out of his bed and walk over to the window, wrapping his blanket around his thin frame.

Movement in the courtyard below him made him looked down. His friend Ivan stood outside, staring off in the same direction of the clouds. Okami lifted the window and leaned out to whisper to his friend, "Ivan, what are you doing outside so late?" The older boy looked up at him, his violet eyes filled with sadness.

"Can't you feel it, Okami? Something has begun, something that is going to change our lives forever." Okami looked away from Ivan and back to the clouds, closing his eyes. Therefore, it was true. The Elemental Stars were in danger and only the Energists could do something about it, 'There isn't anything we can do right now. We just have to wait until our lighthouses call for our help.'

Okami looked back down at his friend and called out to him, "Ivan, you should go back to the palace. Lady Layana is going to be worried about you if she finds out that you're not in bed, or even in the palace." Ivan seemed to break away from his trance and turned his attention away from the ominous clouds that hung over Haidia Village.

"I guess you're right as always, Okami. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, then?" Okami nodded as Ivan turned away and began making his way to Hammet's palace, "Can we talk about what is going on as well?"

"Of course." smiled Okami, knowing that they would forget about whatever was happening coming morning. He preferred it that way. Whatever was going on in Haidia Village, they were not meant to know just yet, but soon, very soon, they would all be dragged into the folds of faith and destiny and there was nothing anyone of them could do about it.

Miles away, at the base of the quiescent volcano known as Mt. Aleph, sat the normally peaceful village of Haidia. However, a terrible storm was attacking the small village and the villagers of Haidia were rushing to safety as the elders held back a destructive boulder that would destroy many lives if they allowed it to continue any further.

One young man in particular, a young Earth Energist, was having trouble getting to safety for one fact. He was asleep in his bed. His mother hurried up the stairs to his room and rushed to his side, shaking him gently to consciousness, "Robin, please wake up dear! There is great danger at Mt. Aleph, a boulder is going to fall!"

The young Energist by the name of Robin merely rolled over in his bed, turning his back to his mother. The youth's mother heaved a sigh and shook her son once more before giving up and turning to her younger son, Mamoru, who was still asleep as well. She hurried to his side and tapped his shoulder, "Mamoru, get up! We have to hurry!"

The blond woke up quickly, jumping in his bed, "Mother, what's wrong?" he asked, timidly. Mamoru jumped when he heard a clap of lightning above them. His mother smiled down at him reassuringly.

"Don't worry, grab your coat and go downstairs to meet your father. He'll help you get to the plaza, that's where everyone else is going to go to get to safety." Mamoru threw on his tunic and then paused at the stairs, looking back at his mother as she tried to wake up his older brother.

"What about Robin?" asked the four-year-old, worried about his sleeping brother. His mother walked over to Robin's bedside and shook him again. This time Robin woke with a start, sitting up in bed and looking around the room wildly. When he spotted his mother, he sighed in relief.

"Don't worry about your brother, we'll join you as soon as you get to the plaza with your father. Go on now, I need to help Robin get out of here." Robin blinked up at his mother, confused as she forced him out of bed and then made him put on his tunic.

"What's going on?" he asked, trying to fight his mother, "What are you doing?" His mother managed to get his tunic on at last and grabbed his arm, dragging him to the staircase, "Mom?"

"We have to get to the plaza, there's a huge boulder that rolled down from Mt. Aleph and the only thing that is stopping it from crushing the village is the elders' Psynergy." explained his mother, when they reached the middle of the stairway, "Mamoru has gone with your father to go down to the plaza now. We need to hurry to catch up with them."

They walked out into the family room and were about to walk out the door when it opened, and Kyle, Robin's father, stood there, soaked from the rain that was pouring outside. He took a step back so that Robin and his mother could walk out and then he hurried out after them, "Dora, Robin, we have to hurry to the plaza. The boulder could fall any minute now."

Dora looked around and then turned back to her husband, "Where's Mamoru? I thought you were going to take him down to the plaza." Kyle shook his head quickly, sending droplets of rainwater flying through the air.

"I have to help evacuate the other villagers. I do not want anyone to get hurt in this storm or by that boulder. There could still be people in their homes," said Kyle, "I couldn't do that and take Mamoru to the plaza so I sent Mamoru off with Amiko and Kanata, they should get to the plaza together safely." Dora nodded but then an idea came to her.

"I can help you evacuate the villagers!"

"It's far too dangerous, besides, who's going to take Robin to the plaza?" asked Kyle, "Just take care of him and I'll be there as soon as I make sure that everyone's safe."

"Robin can go on his own, he knows that way to the plaza." Robin nodded in agreement, not wanting to watch his parents argue in the rain any longer. They were all getting soaked and he could hear the deep rumble of that boulder nearby, they did not have much time left to get the shelter.

"Don't worry about me, Mom, Dad. I can make it to the plaza by myself." he reassured them quickly, brushing his wet bangs out of his eyes only to have them fall back into place, "We should really hurry up if we want to get to the plaza and help all of the villagers."

Dora and Kyle nodded to each other and then kissed Robin's forehead before they ran off. Robin turned around and began to descend the staircase. However, a loud rumble knocked him to the ground and a large boulder rolled into place at the foot of the stairs. Robin jumped up and pushed at the boulder, trying to move it out of the way. When it would not budge, he slumped against it, trying to think of a different way to get to the plaza.

He remembered that he could use the other stairs on the other side of town. It would take a little longer, but he should be able to get there in time. Robin ran back up the stairs and hurried north as fast as he could. He slipped on a bit of grass and slid on his butt, coming to a halt at his friend, Gerald's, house. Robin stood up and brushed the blades of grass from his tunic. He was about to continue on his way, when he heard a familiar voice coming from the back of the house.

He found his friend Gerald standing there, trying to drag a large box along with him. Robin rushed to Gerald's side, "What are you doing, Gerald?" yelled Robin, "If you have failed to notice, there is a rainstorm pouring down on your and the elders are having an extremely hard time holding back a giant boulder that could crush you in a second!"

Gerald dropped the rope to his box and turned to Robin, "But I have to take my stuff with me to the plaza!" yelled Gerald over the howl of the wind that whipped around them. Robin shook his head, exasperated by his friend.

"Gerald, are you really willing to die trying to drag your stuff with you?" he yelled in return, "We have to go or that boulder is going to kill us! What is it going to be, Gerald? Do you really want to die by being smashed into the ground by a giant boulder?" Gerald blinked and shook his head, "I didn't think so, so drop your stuff and let's go to the plaza."

"Okay, let's get to the plaza then." Robin grinned and hurried off to the bridge that led to the other side of the village. Gerald chased after him, his things lying forgotten in the rain.

The two teens had almost made it across the bridge when I loud rumbling stopped them in their tracks. The elders had their backs to them and were standing near the stairway that led up to Sol Sanctum, their arms were raised and they seemed to be using their Psynergy to hold back the large boulder in front of them, "We can't keep this up for much longer!" yelled one of them.

"If our Psynergy runs out, Haidia Village will be destroy! We can't let that happen!" yelled the man next to the first to cry out, "We have to hold on until all the villagers are safe!" The first one to speak turned around when he felt eyes on his back. He jumped when he spotted Robin and Gerald standing on the bridge, watching them.

"Robin, Gerald, what are you doing?" he yelled to them, "You have to get to the plaza before the boulder falls! Go on, you just have to go on a little further!" Robin and Gerald turned to each other and nodded, quickly running along the bridge and along the path.

They were about to move forward, but a large boulder fell into their path and they were stopped again. Robin pushed against it with all his might, but it was no use. He turned back to Gerald and looked around. His light blue eyes spotted the path that led around the boulder and opened up to the other side, 'We can go through here!" he announced. Gerald looked past the trees and nodded.

"It does seem to be the only way to get to the plaza…let's go." They ran past the trees and came to a clearing. Robin froze when a bolt of lightning lit up his surroundings. A man was lying on the ground near the fence and he did not seem to be moving. Robin rushed to his side and knelt next to him, leaning over to get a better look, "Are you all right, mister?"

The man groaned and opened his eyes. They were clouded and he it did not look as if he actually could see Robin. He opened his mouth to speak, looking past the blond, "Rockslide…destroyed fence…Monsters everywhere…I'm hurt pretty badly…Do you think I'll die?" Robin bit his lip and shook his head, whispering a quick no.  
"You need to get your rest, mister. Save your strength. We'll go get help for you." Robin was about to get up to leave when the man called out again, making him turn his attention to him again.

"This is awful. I'm left here for the monsters to…" he paused and stood up, making Robin scramble backward, eyes wide, "That's strange…I'm not hurt at all! But I'm serious about the monsters, so be careful on your way to the plaza!" With that said, the man raced past Robin and Gerald and ran off in the direction of the plaza.

Robin and Gerald stared after him, blinking, "Why that little…" started Gerald, looking to Robin now, "He lied to us! Do you think he could be lying about the monsters as well?" Robin smiled, trying to calm his friend down before Gerald lost what little control over his emotions he had.

"Now is not the time to be worrying about monsters, Gerald. We should get to the plaza before the elders run out of Psynergy and that boulder comes crashing down on the village." Gerald nodded and they started to make their way out of the clearing when they heard a rustle in the bushes in front of them. The boys paused and looked at each other, wondering what to do.

Robin squared his shoulders and took a couple of steps forward and reached out to pull back the leaves. Before he could touch the leaves, three people jumped out of the bushes. One of them was his little brother, Mamoru, wearing his tunic. Kanata, a good friend of his, and Amiko, Mamoru's friend, were the other two that had jumped out of the bushes with Mamoru. Robin fell back onto the ground in surprise and clutched at his heart, trying to get over the fright the three had just given him.

Kanata threw back her long, glacier-colored hair and smiled down at Robin, holding out a hand to help him up. Robin took her hand and pushed himself off the ground, dusting himself off for the second time that day. Mamoru ran to his brother's side and hugged him around the waist, "I was worried that you wouldn't make it in time to go to the plaza with us!" he said. Robin ruffled his hair and looked down at Kanata.

"How you three been waiting for us?" asked Robin. Kanata shook her head quickly, reassuring Robin that they had merely jumped in the bushes when that man ran past them. Robin sighed in relief, "Good, now we should get to the plaza before Mom and Dad find out that we aren't there yet."

The group hurried past the rest of the trees until they found the path again. Once there, they hurried along it and then down the stairs to the riverside. They had made it to the bottom when they heard a familiar voice cry out, "On no! My brother!" Robin recognized the voice immediately and his eyes widened in fright.

"Felix!" The next voice they heard coming from behind the house in front of them belonged to Robin's father.

"Hang on, Felix!" he cried. Robin and the others rushed to the water's edge and were met by a frightening sight. Robin's mother and father were standing on the wooden bridge with the father and mother of Jenna and Felix, their friends, as well as Jenna. Felix, Robin's best friend, was in the rushing river, holding onto a small rock.  
"Felix will be all right." soothed Dora, turning away from Felix to his parents and his little sister, "We'll find a way to save him…" Just as Dora says this, Felix goes under the water. Jenna cried out in panic and ran to her mother's side.

"The rope won't reach…" said Kyle, trying to throw the rope over to Felix, "We should use Psynergy. Do you have any left?" he asked, turning to Felix's father. The man shook his head.

"I've used all mine up. What about you, Kyle?" Kyle shook his head, eyes betraying his sadness.

"I'm drained from helping the other villagers…" he explained. Dora ran to the door, throwing it open.

"We have to get help." she said to them.

"Can Felix hang on long enough for us to find help?" asked Kyle, looking back at the boy fighting against the water's rough currents that tried to force him under the water again.

"There's nothing else we can do for him here, is there?" asked Dora.

"Then go get help, but be as quick as possible!" said Kyle, glancing at his wife quickly before giving Felix his full attention. Felix's mother pushed Jenna away gently, holding her out by her shoulders.

"Jenna, can you go too? You'll go find help, right?" Jenna looked out at her brother and nodded, determined to help her brother before it was too late to do something about his plight. Jenna ran to Dora's side and they walked back into the house, coming out of the front door.

Jenna went south, toward the plaza and Dora went north, running into Robin, Gerald, Kanata, Amiko, and Mamoru, all still standing near the riverbank. Robin spun around and rushed to his mother's side, "Mom, we can help too! We'll get find someone who can help Felix, bring them back here and they'll be able to help him!"

It took Dora a couple of seconds before she took in all her son had said but she nodded and smiled, "Okay, but make sure that Mamoru and Amiko don't get hurt along the way, okay? Jenna has gone down to the plaza to see if anyone there can help her. Why don't you join her?" The small group nods and Dora hurries off up the stairs, leaving them to find Jenna.

"Mamoru, I think that you and Amiko should stay at the plaza once we get there!" yelled Robin, so his brother would be able to hear him over the wind. It seemed to be getting worse the longer it raged. Mamoru began to protest, but Kanata was on his side with this decision as well.

"It would be the safest if you two just stayed there. There isn't much that you could help us with anyway. All we have to do is get that rope of Felix and then he'll be just fine." she said, smiling at the two brightly. "Besides, I'm sure that you're all very tiered from being woken up in the middle of the night and then having to run all over the village in the pouring rain…If you don't get any rest, you might catch a cold."

Mamoru and Amiko decided that it was no use now that Robin and Kanata were working together against them, so they relented and agreed to stay at the plaza once they reached it. When they did reached the plaza, they found Jenna talking with Gerald's grandfather, the mayor of Haidia Village.

"Go aid the elders! The Boulder is too heavy for them to hold much longer." he was telling the two men in front of him.

"We can't let the Mt. Aleph Boulder destroy our village!" said the first one to the man next to him.

"Let's go help the elders." said the second one and with that, they rushed off to help the elders.

"We're counting on you." the mayor called after them. He sighed and then spotted Gerald and the others.

"Grandpa! Jenna!" yelled Gerald, running over to his grandfather and Jenna.

"Gerald, Kanata, Robin…You came to help me?" asked Jenna, looking at her friends as Robin and Kanata talked one of Kyle's friends, asking them to watch over Amiko and Mamoru in their absence.

"Jenna told me about Felix." said Gerald's grandfather, "Is that why you're all here?" Robin turned away from the man and nodded.

"Yes, my Mom asked us to get helped when we were passing through on our way to the plaza. Now we need someone with Psynergy to get the rope to reach Felix." Gerald's grandfather beamed down at the three teens in front of him.

"I'm proud of all three of you! Jenna could use a hand." the man kneeling next to the Psynergy stone suddenly lept up.

"Great! I'm all charged up!" he exclaimed. Gerald's grandfather turned to look at him.

"How are you? Have you recovered your Psynergy?"

"Enough to save Felix, thanks to the Psynergy Stone." said the man, hopping over the small pond and back to the others. Gerald's grandfather clasped his shoulder and looked back at Jenna and the others.

"Okay, Jenna, you heard him. Now hurry back! The path may be blocked by fallen rocks," he said, turning away from Jenna to Robin, Kanata, and Gerald, "You three can show them the way!" Jenna nodded to Robin and the others.

"…Thank you, Robin." Robin smiled down at her.

"Hey, Felix is my best friend. I cannot just let him drown in that lake. We should hurry and get him out of there." Robin turned around and knelt down next to Mamoru and Amiko as his friends ran back to Felix, "Promise me that the two of you are going to stay here where it's safe. We are going to save Felix and the two of you might get in the way. Okay?"

Mamoru and Amiko looked at each other before nodded, "Okay. Now go inside before you catch pneumonia." He stood up and ran after his friends.

Jenna and the others had stopped on the bridge hanging over the river where Felix was fighting for his life, "Mom! Dad! We're back!" yelled Jenna, leaning over the rope that suspended the bridge over the water. Gerald held his arm out in front of her to make sure that she did not take a dive into the raging waters below. They already had their hands full with saving one person, they did not want to go off and try to save a second one from the river.

Dora had just appeared around the side of the house, out of breath, "Is that you, Jenna?" she called out to them, her eyes squinting slightly through the raindrops.

"Yes, ma'am…" said Jenna slowly. Robin walked past her and ran down the stairs, running to his mother.

"We found someone who can help Felix." Robin looked back up at his friend still on the bridge and the man they had led there took a step to the side, "Is Felix still…"

"Felix is all right. He's hanging in there." soothed Dora, brushing back her son's wet locks, before turning her attention back to the people on the bridge, "Come down here, so we can save Felix!"

Kanata, Gerald, Jenna, and the man made their way along the bridge, down the stairs and around the bend. Just as they were about to help Felix out, a loud crashing came from the north part of town. Robin froze and looked up, "The Boulder's falling!" he cried, falling backwards as the Boulder crashed along the bank and then into the water in front of them.

Robin threw up his hands in front of his face, more as a reflex than anything else and lowered them when all was silent. His eyes widened at the sight in front of him. The bridge where Kyle and Jenna's parents had been standing was now empty and Felix was nowhere to be seen, "W-what happened…?" he asked, blinking, unsure if what he had seen really had happened, "Dad…Felix…T-they're gone…everyone's gone…Felix…dad…"

"Mom, Dad…" Robin turned his head to the side and saw Jenna kneeling next to the riverbank, a dazed look in her fiery eyes, "Felix…Please…Don't leave me all alone…" Tears streamed down her face and she buried her face in her hands, letting the tears flow freely now. Dora was standing a few feet away from Robin before she collapsed to the ground as well, staring at the spot where Kyle had been only moments ago, trying to help Felix from drowning.

"No…" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the loud roar of the wind that beat at them harder now, "It can't be. Kyle…It must be a dream…"

Robin rose to his feet, shaking all over. He spotted Kanata sitting on the ground near Gerald, her purple eyes wide with shock as she tried to regain control over her thoughts. Robin leaned down, offering his hand to her to help her to her feet. She jumped but took his hand and he lifted her to her feet again, "Robin…The Boulder…We need to get help, or everyone will drown…" they heard Gerald say, watching the rushing waters of the river in front of him.

Robin nodded to Kanata, "We should hurry before everyone drowns. Are you going to come with me, Kanata, or are you going to stay here?" Kanata looked at the river for a moment before nodding to Robin.

"Yes, let's go see if we can find some help for Felix and the others." Robin and Kanata raced around the bend, back up the steps and along the bridge, going back to the plaza to see if there was anyone there that could help them. Gerald suddenly noticed that Kanata and Robin were not there.

"Robin, Kanata…I can't let them go on their own…It's times like these when friends have to stick together." Gerald followed the path that Kanata and Robin had just taken and went to their aid.

Robin and Kanata were just about to go down another flight of stairs to go down to the plaza, when they heard a strange voice on the ledge just above them. They froze and listened to the voice, wondering whom it belonged to, "Only the two of us survived…" came the first voice, it seemed to belong to a man.

"How could we have anticipated Sol Sanctum would unleash such fury?" asked a second voice, this one belonged to a woman. The same man answered her.

"It's a miracle that even the two of us were spared…" he replied. The woman's next words seemed to indicate that she was in deep thought about what they had just been through before they arrived on the ledge.

"That switch…" she started to say, "It must have been a trap…"

"But to think it could conjure up a storm this powerful!" exclaimed the man. Kanata and Robin turned to each other in surprised. It seemed that these two strangers, from the far north by their accents, were the cause of this dreadful storm. It was their fault that Felix, Kyle, and Felix's mother and father were…Robin shook his head, shaking the thought out of his mind.

"…Another demonstration of the awesome powers of Alchemy." responded the woman.

"Regardless, we must not fail the next time we challenge Sol Sanctum." Robin and Kanata pressed their backs against the ledge and looked up, trying to hear the man and the woman better.

"Next time, we shall certainly…" the woman did not get very far with her sentence. That moment Gerald came running around the bend, calling out for Kanata and Robin to wait for him. Robin and Kanata jumped a foot into the air and glared over at Gerald, motioning him to shut up.

Gerald walked up to them and paused, "…No…Loudmouth Gerald…" muttered Robin under his breath as the younger teen reached Robin's side. The man and woman walked over to the ledge and looked down at the trio, surprised for a mere moment before they smirked.

"You were eavesdropping on us just no, weren't you?" asked the man, his pale blue skin glinting when a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Robin looked at Kanata and then Gerald, telling them that he would handle this.

"Uh…no, no…" he said quickly, "We were just leaving…to go to the plaza. Big storm you know." Gerald tugged on Robin's sleeve, trying to get his attention away from the two strangers standing on the ledge above them.

"Robin…Robin, they look scary," he whispered, making Kanata rolled her eyes, "Are you sure you should be talking to them?"  
"It is okay, Gerald," whispered Robin. Kanata nodded in agreement, but she could feel a very strong aura emitting from the two on the ledge.

"Just stay calm, Gerald and we'll get out of here," she whispered over Robin's shoulder before turning back to the man and woman above them.

"You must forget everything you heard," said the woman to them. Robin was about to say something when the man spoke up.

"Don't worry…We'll help you forget!" They jumped from the ledge and Robin, Kanata, and Gerald jumped back. Gerald slipped on the wet grass as he tried to pull out his sword. Robin stood back to back with Kanata as the two strangers surrounded them. Robin unsheathed his sword as Kanata swung her staff out in front of her, defensively.

Robin blocked the first attack for the man and he head metal against metal behind him as Kanata blocked against the woman's attacks. Gerald jumped to his feet and lept for the man's back, but he swung around and blocked Gerald's attack just as Robin lunged forward and stabbed him in the ribs.

His sword grazed the man's armor and Robin lost his footing, falling face forward onto the wet grass. Kanata cried out and tried over Robin, nearly missing being run through with the woman's sword. Gerald had been thrown across the field and had banged his head against a large tree. Robin tried to get up, but the man threw his sword down, hilt first, at Robin's head, knocking him out.

"Robin!" cried Kanata, trying to pick up her staff to help him, but the woman threw it out of her hands with a blast of fire from her palm, "Y-you're an Energist!" gasped Kanata before the man hit her in the back of her head with the hilt of his sword, knocking her out as well.

The two smirked at each other before running off, leaving the three teenagers behind in the rain.

-Three years later…Karei Town-

Okami sat up with a start in his bed, drenched in a cold sweat just as he had when he woke up three years ago. The fourteen-year-old whipped the sweat from his brow and slipped out of bed, grabbing his clothes for the day and walking off to his bathroom. The cross-Energist quickly took a shower and dressed. He walked out of his bathroom and down the stairs where his foster mother was standing in the kitchen, singing while she cooked them breakfast.

His foster mother was a very happy woman, rather round and jolly, and Okami could tell from the way she carried herself that she was a very honest woman and could not tell a lie even to save her daughter's life, least of all her own. Her name was Melissa, but she always told Okami to call her 'Mom'. Even though Okami felt very uncomfortable calling her that, he did as she asked of him.

Melissa had tried to teach Okami how to cook, knowing that he was going to go on a journey one day, and most likely never come back to them, but each time she tried to teach Okami, the stove would always blow up in the boy's face. The only thing that the cross-Energist could cook without burning was green tea, and no matter what he did to it, it would always come out good.

"Do you want to try your hand at cooking again?" she asked sweetly, turning from the stove to her foster child. Okami gave her a sincere smile.

"And have the kitchen blow up in my face again? I think I will pass, Mom," he laughed before sitting at the kitchen table in the chair that faced the window. He saw Ivan walking up the stairs to Hammet's palace with two guards on either side of him and Hammet himself in front of him. Okami made to stand up, but Melissa's daughter, Hamako, suddenly came running down the stairs and jumped into Okami's lap. Okami flinched at the sudden weight and looked down at the young girl in surprise, "What are you doing up so late, sleepyhead?" he teased, poking her nose.

"I heard you wake up, Okami!" she called in her tiny voice. Okami smiled, "Besides, you said that you would take me over to Lucas' house so that I could play with him. You also said that you and Yoru were going to take the two of us to Karei Town Docks and we would go on the boat to Tolbi."

Melissa turned around and looked at them, "Did they now? And when were the two of you planning on telling your parents?" she asked. Okami laughed nervously.

"Well, now. Sorry, Mom, but it slipped my mind. Whenever I did remember, you or Dad were too busy or were somewhere else." explained Okami, "So I really never found an opportune time to tell you that we were going to take a ship into Tolbi." Melissa sighed as she took the pot off the stove and took out four bowls from the cupboard. She sent them out on the counter and started to pour oatmeal into the bowls.

"You and Hamako may go, but promise me that you and Yoru will look after yourselves as well as the kids. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to anyone of you." Okami smiled and started to laugh.

"I am one of the Legendary Warriors, Mom. Yoru is as well, you have nothing to worry about," said Okami, "Legendary Warriors as strong as normal Energists that have seven Djinni. We cannot even carry Djinni because then we would be far too strong for our own good. Like I said, you have nothing to worry about."

Melissa sighed again and carried the bowls to the table. Okami helped Hamako into her chair next to him and put a napkin around her neck so that she would not get her dress dirty, "Now where's your father?"

Richard, Okami's foster father and Hamako's biological father, came down the stairs. He preferred Okami to call him 'Dad', but would allow Okami to call him whatever he wished, so Okami did just that.

"Richard," started Okami, "I was thinking about taking Hamako out to Tolbi with Yoru and Lucas. If we leave after breakfast, when we planned, we should be back around tomorrow morning."

"Did you ask your mother about this?" Okami nodded.

"She said that we could go as long as we be careful. Don't worry about us, we'll be just fine." Richard sighed and nodded.

"Very well then, you and Hamako may go, as long as you be careful." Okami smiled and bowed to him politely.

"Thanks."

Back in the peaceful village of Haidia, the villagers are just beginning to recover from their great losses in the storm of Mt. Aleph three years past. However, three families in particular are having a rather hard time adjusting to the changes the storm brought on them, the deaths of their loved ones.

Robin was kneeling on his roof, repairing the holes the storm had made. His mother was on the ground, continuously asking him if he was done yet. By the tenth time, Robin was getting a little annoyed, "Mom! Calm down, I am almost done with the repairs! I just have patch up this one part and…" he drifted off as he did the repairs.

"You're almost done? Okay then, keep at it!" Robin smiled weakly and heaved a sigh of relief. His little brother, Mamoru, had gone over to Amiko's house to hang out with her for the day while Robin finished fixing their roof.

The young Fire Energist, Jenna, was watching them before the front yard, laughing softly to herself. She walked around Robin's house, up the steps and past Gerald's house, out to the backyard where Gerald usually did his Psynergy training. The fellow Fire Energist was standing in front of a giant pillar, his hand lifted up before him, "Hyaa!" he yelled. A crimson light wrapped around his hand and then shot out at the pillar, slowly pushing it back into a patch of flowers.

"I see that you are still training, Gerald." said Jenna, laughing as she walked closer to her friend. Gerald's palm shot forward another crimson light and pushed the log back further, "You sure do put your heart into it, Gerald!"

Gerald finally spotted Jenna. He smiled at her, whipping the sweat from his brow, "Oh, I'm just finishing up." he explained.

"That's good. It's time to go, and I was about to leave you behind." she teased, making Gerald frown. An idea suddenly came to Jenna, "Say, what exactly happened to you three?" Gerald jumped in surprise at the abrupt question.

"W-what are you talking about?" he asked, trying not to give anything away just yet.

"The accident three years ago…Is that why you've been studying Psynergy?" asked Jenna, leaning forward a bit. Gerald turned away, trying not to say anything, "I appreciate your concern, but…my family's never coming back, and neither is Robin's father…" Jenna shook her head, "I just want to forget that day. I wish everyone would…"

"That awful day…" started Gerald, "We went to get help, but they found us unconscious…" Jenna had started to speak at the same time he had.

"Well, let's go get Robin and Kanata and go to Kraden's…" she paused, looking at Gerald again, "What, Gerald?"

"Nothing."

"Huh? You were about to say something, weren't you?" she pressed; Gerald shook his head, laughing nervously.

"No I wasn't."

"Don't be weird, Gerald!" Jenna turned away, "Whatever."

"Jenna, are you mad at me?" asked Gerald, turning from the pillar in front of him back to Jenna.

"I don't want to talk about it. Come on."

"Huh?"

"Robin and Kanata are waiting for us." she turned to leave but Gerald stopped her, grabbing her wrist so she could walk away.

"But, Jenna…!" she pulled her wrist out of his hand and shook her finger in front of his face.

"I'll leave you behind if you're too slow."

"Jenna…" he smiled and nodded, following her back to Robin's house.

Kanata was now standing next to Dora, watching as Robin lifted a patch and placed it on of the many holes in the roof before kneeling down next to it and patching it together with the rest of the roof. Robin pulled back once he was finished and nodded to Kanata and his mother, "There, it's all done. No more holes." he stood up, stretching his muscles.

Dora climbed up the ladder and onto the roof next to Robin, checking to see if everything was sturdy. When she was done, Kanata climbed up after her and smiled at Robin, "Good job, Robin." said Dora, "You patched it nicely. All right. You're all done. You're very realizable, Robin…just like your father was."

Kanata and Robin exchanged fleeting looks before they both looked away and down at the roof, "Mom…" Dora turned to look at Robin, her eyes full of concern for her oldest son.

"What is it, Robin? Do you still think about the accident?" Robin turned his head to the side and muttered yes. "That's what I thought. I was devastated when Kyle died…I felt alone…It's taken some time, but I'm better now. I still have both you and Mamoru."  
She leaned over and pulled Robin into a quick hug, "You're almost seventeen. You're so much like Kyle was when he was young." she said nostalgically, "I'm looking forward to seeing where life takes you." Robin smiled weakly.

"So am I…" Jenna suddenly appeared, climbing off the ladder and onto the roof next to Kanata.

"MA'AAAAM!!!" she called, trying to get Dora's attention away from her son. Dora turned around and smiled at the Fire Energist who had just climbed up onto her roof next to Kanata.

"Hello, Jenna." Jenna bowed, smiling respectfully at Robin's mother.

"Good morning."

"Yes, yes…good morning." she turned just in time to see Gerald climb up the ladder and hop onto the roof in between Jenna and Kanata, "Well, if it isn't Gerald, too. Where do the four of you plan to go today?"

The four Energists looked at each other and back to Dora; "Uh…today we're going…" she looked over at Gerald for help.

"We're going to Mt. Aleph with Kraden." Robin and Kanata nodded at this. Dora sighed.

"Mountain climbing with Kraden, eh? Kids and their games…" Kanata shook her head quickly.

"No, ma'am, it's part of our training. To strengthen our Psynergy," she explained, "It isn't to go mountain climbing." Kanata was going to add that she seriously doubted that Kraden could climb up a small hill, much less a mountain like Mt. Aleph, but she did not want to be rude.

"Ah, yes…You're studying Alchemy, isn't that right?" she asked. Robin nodded, "Alchemy is the foundation of all Psynergy…And you all know Mt. Aleph is the greatest source of Alchemy. They say Kraden is the best teacher around." Dora paused and looked around, deep in thought, "Alchemy…I wonder what use it all is?"

She turned to Robin, her face stern, "Your mother would rather see you grow up to be a happy, ordinary man. But I suppose you still want to go…"

"You can't talk me out of it now, Mom. I've worked on it for far too long now." laughed Robin, shaking his head, "We'll be careful while we're up there, you don't have to worry about us." Dora folded her arms across her chest and set her eyes on Robin before letting out a tiered sigh.

"Well, if that won't persuade you, I guess nothing will!" she turned her head to the side, "You're just as stubborn as your father-!"

She swung her hand a little too much and started to stumble backward. Gerald moved forward to get to her just as Robin held out his hand to grab hers, "Be careful, ma'am!" Dora went over the edge of the house and disappeared for view.

"Mom!" he turned and saw Gerald, "Gerald, watch out!"

"Don't step there!" warned Kanata, moving forward to stop him. However, it was too late. Gerald's boot stuck into the roof and his leg fell through. Robin glared at him before rolling his eyes and turning to see his mother poke her head over the edge of the roof, smiling and laughing softly.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as Robin leaned over and helped her to her feet, "That was exciting! I'm sorry I scared you like that." Robin sighed again and looked over at Gerald.  
"That's okay, Mom, but you made Gerald poke another hole in the roof." Dora followed Robin's gaze, over to where Gerald stood with half his leg sunk deep into the roof. She clicked her tongue impatiently and tapped her leather bound foot lightly on the roof.

"Well! Gerald, what do you have to say for yourself?" Gerald looked down at his feet, his ears turning a bright red as everyone turned their eyes to him, waiting to see what he had to say.

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am," he started after a rather long paused, before grabbing his leg and pulling it out of the roof, "I'll get out of your way right away!" The Fire Energist started to move to the side, but Jenna cried out at the same time as Kanata.

"Wait! Not there, Gerald!"

"Huh? What's wrong with-" just as Gerald said this, the roof under his right foot gave out and his leg feel through for a second time. Robin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, watching his friend as he tried to pull himself free once more.

Dora let out an exasperated sigh, "Oh, never mind…" she turned to Robin, "But you had better get going…" Robin gave her a questioning look before she explained herself, "This old house will fall apart if you stay much longer. I'll get this fixed up. You don't have to hang around here."

Robin smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Mother." Jenna and Kanata bowed to Dora.

"Thank you, ma'am." Dora smiled and waved a hand at the two girls.

"Please, call me Dora." Gerald finally pulled his leg out of the second hole and hurried over to the ladder before he could cause any more damage than he already had to Dora's roof.

"We'll get going right away!" he said hurriedly, sliding down the ladder and onto the ground. Jenna climbed down the ladder after Gerald, standing next to him so she could playfully punch his arm. Kanata bowed to Dora again and climbed down the ladder gracefully, watching Gerald and Jenna with an amused look on her face. Robin let his mother go first and then climbed down after her.

Robin turned to Kanata and the others, "You guys go on ahead to Kraden's, and I'll catch up with you in a second. I just want to say good-bye to my Mom first." Kanata nodded and the three walked up path to the bridge that would take them to Kraden's house. Dora watched until the three teenagers reached Gerald's house. She smiled to herself and turned to look up at Robin.

"I told that clumsy Gerald it would be all right…" she sighed, "But what am I going to do about these holes in the roof?" The Venus Energist took a step back so that he could see the two holes in the roof and he cocked his head to the side before turning away from the roof and back to his mother.

"I'll try to fix the holes when I get back from Kraden's place. I don't think we are going to take too long today, so I should be back in time to fix the roof before the sun goes down." Dora smiled fondly at Robin, standing on tiptoes to ruffle his already messy hair.

"Oh, Robin…" she kissed his forehead, "Go on now, you don't want to be late."

"Okay, Mom." Robin nodded to her and hurried off to catch up with Kanata and the others. He found them standing next to the bridge that led to the other side of the village. Kanata smiled and waved to him as he climbed up the hill and stopped next to them, "Were you all waiting for me?" he asked.

Kanata shook her head quickly, "Gerald was thinking about heading up to Mt. Aleph before we visited Kraden. Well, that priest over there," she waved her hand at the man who was walking around on the ledge above them, "was standing behind that tree that's in front of the steps that you need to take to Mt. Aleph and he chased Gerald all the way back to the stairs."  
Jenna giggled, "Yes, and now he's keeping an eye out for Gerald because of it." Robin joined in their laughter at Gerald's expense, but stopped, whipping the tears of mirth from his light blue eyes.

"Sorry, Gerald, but I can picture you running away from that old man and you don't understand how funny it is." Gerald puffed up his cheeks and turned his head to the side, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot on the ground impatiently, "I'm sorry. We should get going or Kraden will be mad."

Kanata smirked, "And we wouldn't want Kraden to get mad, would we?" she laughed softly and turned, walking across the wooden bridge. Jenna shook her head, smiling.

They entered the small clearing where Kraden's cottage was built and were about to head up the stairs when the four teens hear two voices up ahead of them. Robin, Kanata, and Gerald recognized the voices almost immediately. They belong to the strangers who had fought them three years ago, "They seem to know little of Sol Sanctum's mysteries."

"I know that voice," whispered Robin, looking from Kanata to Gerald, who nodded in agreement.

"The elders of Haidia Village must not permit anyone to enter it, not even Kraden," said a man.

"Kraden…Can we use him?" asked a man.

"Hmm…His knowledge is no meager thing," stated the man, "…We can use him."

"But he's more stubborn than we expected…" sighed the woman.

"And cunning too…Cunning beyond measure."

"If he won't go willingly, then we can always…" she paused and turned around suddenly, spotting Robin and the others.

"You there! What are you doing?" yelled the man, walking toward them. Robin took a step back, his hand moving back to his sword reflexively. Gerald turned to Robin and whispered.

"What are we doing?"

"Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" asked the woman. Robin smirked, looking down at her.

"Actually, yes we were, do you have a problem with that?" The woman started to laugh evilly.

"Oh ho! Well…I can't permit you to continue your spying." Kanata shook her head, taking a step forward so she could stand at Robin's side.

"You're the ones who are sneaking around, you shouldn't even be in Haidia Village."

"Sneaking…Who are you, to accuse me!" Kanata nodded to Robin.

"I am Robin and I have important business with Kraden."

"So, Kraden's engagement was with you…"

"Yes, we're off to meet with him right now." cut in Jenna, jabbing her staff in the ground. The man crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the four teenagers before setting his gaze on Robin.

"And this appointment is important enough to drive us away." He nodded, "Pfeh! If your errand is more important than our own, then…" the man took a step to the side, allowing Robin and his friends passage to Kraden's cottage, "Go…" Jenna looked at the man skeptically.

"You're letting us go?" The woman next to him looked up at him, puzzled.

"Are you sure, Satyuros?" she asked in a whisper, but the four Energists in front of them could still hear every word she said to her companion. Satyuros turned to her and shook his head.

"Menadi, we have no reason to delay these children any further." Gerald pushed Robin in the back gently, trying to make him move forward.

"Let's…Let's go, Robin." Robin glared at Satyuros and Menadi before he nodded to Gerald and started walking down the path to where Kraden's cottage sat on a small hill.

Robin led the others up the hill and they spotted Kraden standing before his cottage, pacing back and forth. Jenna was about to call out to him when they heard speaking, "Just who were they?" he started, turning and walking back along the path in front of his house, "They already know too much about Sol Sanctum…things that even the elders of Haidia Village don't know. And what were they saying about the elements? The elements of Alchemy: earth, wind, water, and fire…They plan to set them into motion? And the four Elemental Stars are the key? These are things even I, a trained Alchemy sage, do not know."

Robin stepped into the old man's path and cleared his throat, "Uh…Kraden?" The old man jumped at the sudden voice and turned to see who had spoken to him. He smiled when he saw Robin, Kanata, Gerald, and Jenna standing near a couple of trees that surrounded the small clearing.

"Oh! Robin…" Jenna leaned forward, her hands behind her back.

"You look like something's bothering you," she put in softly.

"Me? Ah, well…" he broke off into deep thought, returning to pacing in front of the small group of Energists. Gerald shrugged his shoulders at Robin before he spoke up.

"It's those two in the clearing in front of your house, isn't it?" he asked. Robin blinked.

"They said their names were Satyuros and Menadi." 

"They definitely don't look like they're from around here or anywhere close to Haidia Village," said Kanata thoughtfully, "They must come from some other place." Kraden stopped his pacing and looked up at Robin.

"Are they still out there?" The Earth Energist nodded solemnly, "They're very persistent…"

"Did they want something from you, Kraden?" asked Jenna; suddenly worried about what the two strangers they had just met.

"That seems to be the case…" muttered Kraden, skeptically. He continued to pace in front of them as they exchanged confused glances. Jenna shook her head.

"Seems to be? What do you mean by that?" Kraden glanced at her as he turned and started to pace in the opposite direction.

"Mt. Aleph and Sol Sanctum…" he whispered, continuing as if he had not heard the Fire Energist's question at all, "They spoke as if they're seen them with their own eyes…"

"But how can that be? They shouldn't even be able to go up to Sol Sanctum without one of the elders stopping them." said Robin. Kanata nodded in agreement.

"They could be, but those two, Satyuros and Menadi, they seem very strong, and there's something strange and foreboding about them." Kraden stopped again and took a step closer to Robin and Kanata.

"The two of you find it strange, don't you?"

"Of course we find it strange," said Kanata rather quickly, "I doubt that they had a very good reason for entering Sol Sanctum."

"Exactly. You cannot enter Mt. Aleph without a very good reason."

"And if they entered secretly, then they might be thieves!" said Jenna, jumping slightly at the thought of thieves in their very own village.

"We have to go tell the high elders and the villagers!" yelled Gerald, turning around and preparing to go to the elders. Robin, Kanata, and Jenna turned to follow him, but Kraden called out to them.

"Wait everyone!" The group turned around to face the old man once again, confused as to why he had made them stop, "I still don't know how accurate the things they said were…" he let out a tiered sigh, "We can do nothing until we confirm what they told me."

Jenna shook her head, "Then what should we do?"

"Well, we go confirm it," said Kraden simply.

"…Do you mean we should go into Sol Sanctum ourselves?" asked Gerald.

"But that's impossible, isn't it?" asked Jenna, nodding to the others.

"Why would it be?" asked the old man, shrugging his shoulders, "Just because climbing Mt. Aleph is forbidden?" Robin nodded.

"Well, yeah, not to mention that is my mother ever found out, she would probably skin me alive for doing that." Kanata smiled and laughed at the thought.

"We're just going to see whether they've been to the mountain. Surely, that would be acceptable!" suggested Kraden hopefully. Robin folded his arms over his chest, frowning slightly.

"We'll be find if they don't see us, right?" asked Gerald, turning to look at Robin. Robin sighed.

"I suppose…if you don't blow up the mountain, Gerald." he finished, teasingly.

"Right. We won't do anything bad up there." smiled Kanata, waving her finger at Gerald before he could start anything.

"This will just be our little secret, okay?" asked Jenna.

"Secret…? Uh…sure…I suppose…but I'm telling you, if my mother finds out, I'm dead." said Robin, finally giving up.

"Then it's decided!" said Kraden, happily, "We'll make you the leader, okay, Robin?" Robin was about to protest, but Gerald prodded him in the back and he glared back at the Fire Energist.

"Fine, I'll be the leader."

"There are some dangerous places between Mt. Aleph and Sol Sanctum, but you can handle it right, Robin?" asked Gerald, smirking.

"Well…" started Robin, but Jenna cut him off.

"You're more cautious than Gerald is, Robin, so you'll be fine!" Gerald harrumphed and turned away.

"You don't have to be so blunt…"

"Don't you think that we should get going now? I don't want Amiko or Mamoru to come looking for us." said Kanata. Robin nodded.

"Knowing those two, they might just find out where we went and go to Mt. Aleph to find us." Kraden walked away from the group and through the open door to his cottage, "Where are those two anyway?"

"I think…they might be at the plaza, playing near the Psynergy Stone."

Kraden came back out after a few minutes and closed the door behind him, "All right! Let's go!"

-Sol Sanctum-

They arrived at the entrance to the Sanctum without any major problems, although, the priest guarding the stairway to Mt. Aleph nearly caught up to them, but they managed to run up the hill stairs just in time to avoid being seen by him. Kraden turned to look at Robin, Kanata, Jenna, and Gerald once they reached the middle hallway leading to the rest of the Sanctum, "This is the entrance to Sol Sanctum. This is your first time here, right?"

"Of course it is."

"It's an important relic of our past. Take a good look at it." The four nodded and they continued down the long hallway.

It was not long before they came to a small room with a checkered floor. Kraden looked around the room, inspecting the floors and the many statues that seemed to be standing guard, "What's wrong, Kraden?" asked Gerald, talking a step further into the room to look around himself.

"Hmm…Those two said there was a hidden passage leading deeper into the sanctum." The old man rested his hand on one of the statues and shook his head, "I've come here many times, and I've always thought it looked…strange. I had always imagined Sol Sanctum would look different, somehow."

"What do you mean?" asked Jenna, looking from the ceiling to the roof. Kanata walked over to the right side of the room and stared at one of the lone statues standing in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall.

"Sol Sanctum was built in honor of the sun. There ought to be something here to reflect that." explained Kraden, waving his hand around at the dull room, "I was always puzzled why there wasn't. If there is a hidden passage, then maybe it leads to…" He broke off and turned to Jenna and Gerald, "Well! Let's see if we can find it!"

"I think he's serious! Should we help him, Robin? Robin?" Gerald looked around until he spotted Robin standing next to Kanata, studying the same statue, "Did you hear me?"

Robin jumped a little and turned around, laughing slightly, "Ye-yeah, have we got anything better to do? Besides, I like this place." Gerald nodded.

"But it's too dangerous for us to split up. We should stay together."

Robin turned to Kanata again, "There's something strange about this statue, do you think it could lead deeper into the sanctum?" Kanata smiled.

"You read my mind. Let's see if we can move it out of the way."

-Later in the Sol Room-

"This is it!" yelled Kraden when they entered a golden room with a giant image of Sol on the floor, "We've found it! Clearly, this is the mark of the sun…the heart of Sol Sanctum. It's just as I'd imagined…which means those two were telling the truth!"

"But if what they said was true," started Jenna, looking around, "then that means they must have been…"

"They were thieves!" shouted Gerald, making Kanata and Jenna jump, "They came to rob the sanctum!"

"Let's hurry back to the village and tell everyone." said Kanata, suddenly worried about the villagers.

"They could even harm everyone to get what they want," whispered Robin. He clenched his hand into a fist and looked at his friends, "We have to go back now." They made to leave the Sol Room, but then they noticed Kraden had not moved from the middle of the room to leave with them.

"Kraden, what's the matter?" asked Gerald, turning around, "We have to go warn everyone."

"We're so close…" he whispered cryptically.

"Close?" asked Jenna, "Close to what?"

"We've come all the way to the heart of Sol Sanctum. To merely turn our backs on it and leave…" Kraden shook his head woefully.

"There's something wrong with that?" asked Gerald, frowning. Robin narrowed his eyes at Kraden, wondering what he was getting at now.  
"Sol Sanctum holds the origins of Alchemy. It would be a waist to…" he did not finish his sentence and turned to Robin, looking hopeful now, "What do you think? Shall we go a little further?" Robin sighed, looking from Kanata to Jenna.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to just go a little further, as long as we don't stay too long. We really should be getting back to the village to warn everyone about Satyuros and Menadi."

"Thank you!" Kraden exclaimed, running up to hug Robin. The Earth Energist held out his gloved hand and stopped the old man in his tracks.

"Don't touch me please," he said calmly, almost menacingly. Kanata smiled, trying to hold back her laughter as she patted Robin's shoulder.

"You're right, Robin. It won't hurt if we just take a little look around this place. It doesn't look that big, I'm sure that it won't take too long." Jenna and Gerald nodded.

"Really? We'll just go a little bit further!" The Energists nodded, "Good! It's decided. Let's move ahead!"

They walked to the middle of the room and looked around before Kanata spotted something off to the right. The group moved through a small doorway and found themselves bathed in a pale blue, sparkling light that filled the room. This room was similar to the one they had just stepped out of, however, instead of having an image of Sol on the floor, there was an image of Luna in its place.

Kraden moved away from the teenagers again and looked around this room, inspecting the blue walls that surrounded the small room, "Wh-what is this room? There's a moon in the center…A picture of Luna," he whispered in awe at the sight, "This must symbolize night…These rooms must be connected somehow, don't you think?"

Robin simply nodded. He took a step forward and his footstep echoed on the walls around them, multiplying the sound, "Luna and Sol…These rooms must hide some secret. What could it possibly be?" The Earth Energist leaned back against one of the blue walls and lifted an eyebrow as he watched the old man walking around the room, asking a few questions to the four teens here and there.

'And he calls himself an Alchemy sage…Ugh…I know more about the elements than he does then.' thought Robin, closing his eyes for a moment, loosing himself in his thoughts, 'The elements of water and wind are ruled by the moon, Luna, and the elements of earth and fire are ruled by the sun, Sol.'

Kraden suddenly paused in his explorations and looked over at Robin, "What does it all mean?" he asked the teen. Robin opened one eye and then the other, "Robin, would you look farther up the passage?"

"As long as it doesn't take too long…" he turned to Kanata and the others, "Let's get this over with then."

-In the room with the trap-

Robin and the others looked around the wide room for a couple of minutes before Gerald started to give up, "It's hopeless. There's nothing in this room except a bunch of old statues. But the view is great…" The Fire Energist rested his hand on one of the statues and leaned against it. Robin turned around just in time to see the statue move back against Gerald's weight and then they heard something click as Gerald fell forward and landed in the shallow water. Gerald sat up in the water and pushed back his hair, "That statue moved!"

"Thank you for stating the obvious; Gerald." teased Kanata as Robin leaned down to held his friend out of the water, "But why do you think it's like that?"

"Dunno…maybe it's like a puzzle." suggested Jenna hopefully, "Do you think that anything is going to happen…?" Kanata shrugged.

"All we can do right now is wait and see. Besides, I'm tiered of running around this old sanctum." Kanata sat down on the tiled floor near the open wall over looking Haidia Village. The village looked so small from this high up, almost little a little doll village.

Before the others could get comfortable, they heard footsteps rushing towards them. Robin and Gerald tore out their swords and stood in front of the passage, preparing for an attack. Kraden suddenly appeared around the corner just as the two Energists swung their swords forward, missing the old man by a couple of inches, "Wait, Robin!" he yelled.

Robin stared at Kraden, eyes wide, "Are you insane?" yelled Robin, "You don't just go running around this place. There are monsters all over." he let out a sigh as he sheathed his sword, "What is it, Kraden?"

"This is a most interesting mechanism you've found, Robin." started Kraden, motioning to the statues that stood in front of them, "But this is clearly…some kind of trap." The four teenagers blinked as Kanata rose to her feet and hurried over to join Robin and Gerald.

"This is…a trap?" asked Gerald, unsure of what the old man was telling them.

"Go look in the Luna room, and you'll understand." he said simply, "You've done well. Finding this means you're looking in the right place. However, if you just move one statues, you'll be caught in the sanctum's trap."

"But why would anyone put a trap here, anyway?" asked Jenna, watching as Kraden searched the room for more clues.

"I don't know who did it…" he said walking back to where he had been standing before, "but they've hidden something very important. Perhaps…they've hidden the key to Alchemy itself. Should I tell you more?"

"Do we really have time for anymore of your lectures, Kraden?" asked Kanata, rolling her eyes.

"Hmm…Honestly, I doubt you could understand it if I explained now." Robin leaned over and whispered to Kanata.

"Meaning he knows absolutely nothing about it."

"Like that element-thing." she whispered back.

"We must try to find a solution to this mystery," continued Kraden.

"Sheesh…Another mystery?" complained Gerald.

"I'll keep checking the Luna room. You continue exploring the sanctum," said Kraden, "My intuition tells me…that light must be the key to this secret…We should test it." The old man nodded to them and walked back to the Luna room to leave the four teens alone to figure out what the mystery was.

"Robin, let's see if we can't figure this out ourselves, Kraden was no help." said Jenna, tapping her friend's shoulder. Robin smiled and nodded, turning away from the passage and walking back into the room with statues.

"I think I have an idea…"

-Later-

The four Energists finally figured out a way to disarm the trap and were now standing in the middle of the Luna room with Kraden. Instead of the normal, pale blue light they had seen before when they had passed through the room, this time the room had a golden glow and instead of the image of Luna on the tiles, there was an image of Sol in its place.

"Look, Robin! The picture of Luna changed to Sol! However, other than that, nothing looks different…" said Kraden, waving his hand to the four teenagers. Kanata prodded the image of Luna with her staff and shrugged her shoulders at Robin when nothing happened to the room.

"I don't know what to tell you, Robin." she said, "We could look in the Sol room that we were in before, maybe something in there has changed."

"I guess you could be right." came Robin's reply. He turned around and led the group back into the room to the left.

The golden glow was gone now, and so was the image of Sol. The pale blue light that was in the Luna room was now in this room, and the image of Sol had been transformed into an image of Luna. Robin took a couple of steps into the room before he paused. There was something shooting out of the middle of the floor, a bright blue light that led to the wall to his right. He walked over to the wall, prodded the wall, and was suddenly thrown back by a huge force. He stumble back but caught himself before he hit the floor.

"What was that, Robin?" asked Kanata, rushing to his side. Robin shook his head and stared at the wall, as a blue light in the shape of a doorway appeared where he had poked the wall. The Earth Energist moved towards it and lifted his hand to it before turning back to his friends, smiling.

"We're never going to find out by just standing here. Let's check it out." without another word, Robin stepped through the portal and disappeared. Kanata ran forward and did not stop, running straight through the portal.

"Robin! Kanata!" cried Jenna out. She spun around and grabbed Gerald's arm, "Well just don't stand there, Gerald! Let's go help out friends!" She dragged the older Fire Energist over to the portal, pushed him in and quickly followed in after him.

Kraden jumped as Jenna disappeared through the portal as well, leaving the man alone in the strange room, "Wait for me, everyone…I'm on my way!"

Robin stumbled into a large cavern. Gentle lights sparkled on the platform he was standing on, there was a rushing sound far below him and he took a step toward the ledge, leaning over to look down. At the bottom of the cavern was a large body of water that seemed to go on forever. Robin watched in awe, mesmerized by the water below. He only backed away from the ledge when he heard Kanata call out to him.

"Robin! What are you doing?" she asked, walking over to the ledge and looked down at the water as well, "Wow…this place is beautiful…"

"Yeah…I don't think I've ever seen that much water in my entire life…" muttered Robin. He turned when he heard Gerald stumble through the portal, soon followed by Jenna, "Gerald? Jenna?"

Jenna looked around, her eyes widening, "Wow…it's so pretty here…" she whispered. Kanata suddenly spotted something off in the corner of the cavern at the same time Robin saw something opposite it.

"What do you think that is over there?" asked Robin, pointed over to a pale golden light. Kanata glanced around and looked at it.

"Whatever it is, there's one of over there was well." she pointed over to the violet light she saw, "For some reason…it looks so familiar…I wonder what it could be."

Robin shrugged his shoulders and looked around the room. He could see pillars leading away from the platform they were standing on to smaller platforms where statues stood holding different colored orbs, "I don't know, but I'm going to find out what those things are." Robin hopped onto the pillar next to the platform, slipping a little and then getting his footing once again.

"Robin, are you sure that's such a good idea?" asked Jenna, talking a step back so she was now in the middle of the platform, "It could be dangerous." Before Robin could protest, Kraden appeared through the portal.

The old man looked around the cavern, surprised, "Wha-where are we?" he asked. Everyone looked back at him; "Is that…the ocean?" asked Kraden as he walked over to the ledge and looked down at the sparkling water below, "No, it couldn't be…The ocean has waves."

"The ocean…" started Gerald, "What's that?" Robin and Jenna shrugged but Kanata kept quiet.

"The ocean is a thing of endless water at the end of the world. You would not understand…" he said simply, "Someday, I'll show it to you myself. The Elemental Stars…They really exist…The Elemental Stars exist!"

Kanata turned around to look back at the lights she had seen, 'Then those are the Elemental Stars…? The Stars that will bring destruction to all of Weyard if they were to leave this room and do what they were created to do…' she shook her head, 'Those two people must be after the Elemental Stars so they can fire the beacons of the elemental lighthouses. As one of the four Legendary Warriors, I cannot allow that to happen.'

"You taught us about those…" said Jenna to Kraden, "Elements are the foundations of all matter."

"Stones, wood, even us…" listed Gerald, "All things are made from those four elements. Did I get that right, Robin?" Robin nodded.

"Yes, you did, Gerald." Kraden nodded as well.

"Exactly…As I have told you many times, the elements are the source of all matter. Earth, wind, fire, and water-these are the four elements. Legend holds that the four Elemental Stars contain the purified essence of each element. And now, those legendary stones are before us!" Kraden moved near to where Robin was standing, "The Venus Star…The elemental stone of earth!" He moved over to the other side of Robin, "Mercury Star, possessing the power of water's many forms!" The old man walked over the other side of the platform to where Kanata was standing, "There is the Mars Star, glowing red with the fire contained within it!" He now moved to the spot where Kanata was, "And Jupiter Star, bound with the wind's fury!!!"

"Kraden…" blinked Jenna, "Why are you getting so excited?" Kraden rounded on her, making her jump a little.

"How can you be so calm in the face of such wonders? You're looking at the very source of Alchemy!" he said, "…Haven't I told you all this before?" Robin shrugged.

"I suppose so…"

"What?" asked Gerald, "I must have fallen asleep, then, because I don't have a clue what he's talking about!"

"The Wisdom Stone…" Kraden was saying now, "the Stone of Sages. This stone dominates everything…It can transmute crude matter into gold, even thwart death itself! You understand now, don't you?"

"I think I do understand now."

"The study of Alchemy began with the search for this very stone," said Kraden, nodding to everyone. Jenna shook her head.

"I don't really get how it works, but they have enormous power, right?" she asked.

"Beyond enormous…With a single gem, one could conquer the world!" said Kraden, "Now, perhaps, you begin to understand." Kanata turned back to the old man when he said this and thought about it for a moment.

"Don't scare us like that, Kraden." said Gerald, "I totally thought you were serious. Heh…Conquering the world…" The old man sighed.

"Who can say what the truth is? That's why I've been searching for the Elemental Stars. I seek to learn the truth about these stones. Now they lie before me…" he jumped onto one of the pillars that led to the Jupiter Star. Kraden started to slid on the pillar, "Whoa…"

"Be careful, Kraden!" warned Jenna, "It looks slippery."

"But I must examine the Elemental Stars…" said Kraden, hopping back onto the platform.

"Make the boys do it!" she said, pointing over to Robin and Gerald.

"What!?" they yelled in unison. Robin glared at Jenna.

"Oh, I couldn't ask…" Kraden turned to Robin, "Would you mind?" Robin folded his arms over his chest, thinking about it.

"Well…"

"He'd be glad to get the stones for you, right, Robin?" Robin gritted his teeth and tried to hold back from saying what was on his mind. Kanata hurried over and hopped onto the pillar he was standing on.

"I'll go with them," she said quickly, patting Robin's shoulder to try to calm the Earth Energist down.

"…Very well then…" he muttered.

"Thank you!"

"Whatever…" Kraden walked over to Robin and handed him four bags, "What are these?"

"You'll need these, Robin."

"You brought those from your cottage, right, Kraden?" asked Jenna, leaning over his shoulder to examine the silvery bags.

"What are those bags?" asked Gerald, walking over to them.

"They're made of woven threads of Mythril."

"Mythril?"

"I prepared them for just such an occasion." explained Kraden, "Now, go fetch the Elemental Stars and put them in those bags." Robin sighed and led the way to the first statue he had spotted, the one that held the Star of his element, Venus.

Robin reached up and pulled the golden orb out of the statue's hold and slipped it into the first bag, tying it around his belt, "Good, good! Now, go fetch the others!"

Kanata rolled her eyes, "I don't a good feeling about this," she said, "Are you sure we should be following Kraden's orders? How many times has he been right?" Robin and Gerald shrugged.

"I don't know about this either, but what else can we do? It would be better for us to have these Stars than those two strangers that were talking about Sol Sanctum," said Robin, "If we have them, then we could probably protect them from harm a little better than we can when they are hidden here. I mean we cannot stay here forever."

Kanata sighed, defeated, "Very well, but they were put here for a very important reason. Taking them away might not be such a good idea." she shook her head, "Never mind, let's go get that Mercury Star."

They jumped back along the pillars and up to the platform where the statue that held the Mercury Star stood. Kanata hold one of the Mythril bags open as Robin took the Mercury Star out of its hands. He slipped it into the Mythril bag and tied it around his belt next to the Venus Star. The ground underneath them began to rumble and then they heard pillars shoot out of the water, "Good, good!" they heard Kraden yell, "Now, go fetch the others!"

Robin, Kanata, and Gerald hopped along the pillars back to the main platform and made their way to the smaller platform where the Jupiter Stars was. Kanata held one of the other Mythril bags open and Robin placed the Jupiter Star inside. The ground rumbled again and they heard the sound of more pillars shooting out of the sparkling waters. They waited for Kraden to say something again, but when it never came, Robin leaned around the statue to see what was going on.

On the main platform, Kraden and Jenna stood in the middle of it, surrounded by three people. Robin knew two of the three people immediately. The two people were Satyuros and Menadi, however, the third person, standing by Jenna, was wearing a strange mask, and Robin could not figure out whom he was.

Robin motioned for Kanata and Gerald to stand on either side of him and he pointed out the people around their friend and their mentor, "What the hell do you want!?" yelled Robin, glaring at Satyuros and Menadi.

"It looks like they've spotted us," sighed Satyuros.

"I thought we'd be safe until they'd gotten all the Elemental Stars." said Menadi, shrugging her shoulders.

"You! You mean to steal the Elemental Stars!" yelled Kraden.

"Master Kraden…" started Satyuros, turning to the old man in the middle of the platform, "Are you calling us thieves?"

"As I recall, aren't you the one who stole our information?" asked Menadi, smirking. Jenna shook her head.

"What will you do with us once you've got the Elemental Stars?"

"I'm sure they'll do us in one they no longer need us!" yelled Kraden angrily. The man in the mask shook his head.

"Relax…You will not be hurt." he said in a soothing voice, "That was our agreement, was it not?" The man looked over at Satyuros.

"That all depends on how well they cooperate."

"They'll be safe, as long as they hand over the Elemental Stars." said Menadi, "Isn't that enough?"

"You heard us…" yelled Satyuros over to Robin and the others, "If you wish to save your friends, then give us the Elemental Stars!"

"Do you accept our terms?" asked Menadi. Robin looked at Kanata and nodded.

"I do not!" he yelled, "How do I know you will keep your word after I hand over the Elemental Stars? You tried to kill me and my friends three years ago!"

"Very good, Robin! You must not give them the Elemental Stars!" said Kraden.

"Why would you deny us?" asked Satyuros, mildly surprised, "Don't you want your friends to be safe?"

"What guarantee do we have once we've given you the Elemental Stars?" asked Kraden, looking at Satyuros now.

"Guarantee…Ah." said Menadi as an idea came to her, "I have one." She turned to the man in the mask, "You will have to remove your mask."

"Th-that means…" whispered the man, shaking his head.

"Ah, of course. A fine idea…" started Satyuros, "He will be our guarantee. Under the circumstances, we have little choice. Felix! Remove your mask!"

"What? What did he say, Robin?" asked Gerald, "He called that guy Felix…That's what he said, isn't it?" Robin shook his head.

"N-no…it can't be…" he muttered still shaking his head, "…it has to be someone else…it has to be…"

"But that's what I heard." said Gerald, watching the people on the platform, "Felix? It can't be…That day…The Boulder…We saw him die, didn't we?"

Kanata shook her head, "No…we didn't see Felix die…"

"We searched for weeks, but we still couldn't fine him," said Gerald.

"What's wrong, Felix…" asked Menadi, "Don't you want them to feel safe?"

"Felix…wasn't that the name of your brother?" asked Kraden, turning to look at Jenna.

"But that accident…my brother, he…"

"I'll do it," said the man, "I'll…take off my mask." He lifted his left hand and pulled the mask away from his face, throwing it down to the floor. Jenna gasped.

"I-It's not possible…" she whispered.

"Felix!" cried Kanata, "What is he…?"

"Is he…" started Kraden.

"I know I've caused you much grief, Jenna," said Felix, "It was a miracle that I survived that day…"

"We are the ones who saved him," explained Satyuros.

"We saw him floating unconscious in the river as we passed." finished Menadi.

"I've been with them ever since…I've experienced a lot," whispered Felix, waving his hand at them.

"But why? Why did you leave me all alone…?" she asked starting to cry. Felix reached out to touch her shoulder but held back, shaking his head.

"Jenna…"

"My own brother…" she whispered, looking up at him now, "I thought you were dead!"

"Save this teary reunion for later." snapped Satyuros, getting annoyed at the delay now.

"That's right. The Elemental Stars come first," said Menadi, looking back at Robin, Kanata, and Gerald.

"Is this acceptable?" asked Satyuros, "Felix would never allow us to harm you…or his sister."

"Felix will be our guarantee." Menadi replied, "Now, give us the Elemental Stars!" Gerald turned to Robin and Kanata.

"We don't have any choice. Should we give them the Elemental Stars?" he asked. Robin and Kanata shared a quick glance before turning to look back at the Fire Energist.

"We always have a choice." started Kanata.

"Felix is alive, there must be a better way than handing over the Elemental Stars. They are way too powerful and too important to just be handed over to a bunch of strangers," continued Robin, "They are not from Haidia Village, they do not deserve to be here, asking for what our people have protected for so long."

Gerald shook his head in disbelief, "If you don't hand them over, they won't let Jenna go!" he yelled.

"Stop following your heart, and think things through first, Gerald!" snapped Robin, glaring up at the Fire Energist, "I know that you like Jenna and all, but protecting the world from harm is more important."

"I can't believe you, Robin! She's our friend!" he shook his head and took step toward Robin. Robin stood his ground until Gerald pushed him down to the floor and grabbed the Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter Stars. He shook his head and started to back away as Kanata knelt down next to Robin, trying to help him off the ground. Gerald hopped back along the pillars and made his way to the main platform.

Before the Fire Energist could reach the main platform where Jenna and Kraden were held hostage, a man with long, light blue hair and turquoise eyes appeared floating a few inches off the ground in front of Gerald, "Will you permit me to relieve you of those Elemental Stars?"

"Oh, Alex…You're late!" yelled Satyuros, "Alex is another of our companions. Hand the stones to him." Gerald shook his head and glared up at Alex.

"Oh, great. After we did all that work…" he handed the three bags over to Alex. The young man shook his head, tossing his long blue hair.

"I am afraid that I must apologize in advance…" he said in a gentle voice, "For you will be bringing us the remaining Elemental Stars, as well." Alex started to float away but Gerald stops him.

"Wait a second!" he yelled, "You want us to grab the other one for you, too?"

"Oh, did you not understand me?" asked Alex.

"You said you'd set Jenna free once we gave you the Elemental Stars." said Gerald, "You promised…"

"No, my friend…" started Satyuros, "We want you to bring us ALL the Elemental Stars!"

"Stop grumbling and bring us the last Star!" yelled Menadi. Gerald frowned and nodded.

"Fine."

"Thank you for your cooperation." said Alex, bowing his head, "We'll be waiting for the rest." Gerald turned around as Alex returned to the main platform. He hopped back over to Robin and Kanata.

"Robin…" he muttered. Robin shook his head.

"Forget about it, Gerald, let's just go." said Robin rather stiffly. He led the way back to the platform and then along the path that took them to the Mars Star.

The Earth Energist reached up, removed the Star from the statue and slipped it into the final Mythril bag. Robin tied it to his belt and the three Energists were about to return to the main platform, but the ground began to tremble violently. Robin stumbled back into the statue, grabbing onto it to stop himself from falling into the waters below. Kanata looked around wildly, leaning on her staff so she would not fall to the ground.

"What's the matter?" asked Menadi, looking around the cavern as well, "What happened?"

"No!" yelled Satyuros, taking a step back, away from the ledge, "Not again!"

"The water's gone!" gasped Jenna, seeing that the ground below them no longer sparkled with a majestic glow.

"Without the energy of the Elemental Stars, the chamber is collapsing!" yelled Alex, his voice strained slightly.

"Is this the 'terrible retribution' the villagers spoke of?" asked Kraden, "No, this must be more of Alchemy's power!" The rumbling suddenly stopped and everyone seemed to relax.

"Whew!" exclaimed Menadi, "It's over…But what was it?" Jenna began to shake her head when she suddenly saw something floating above the ground near the platform they were standing on.

"What is that?!?" she yelled. Satyuros turned and his eyes widened.

"No!"

"That rock…" started Gerald, staring at the giant boulder floating in the air, "It's floating…Do you know what it is, Robin?" Robin rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, it's a rock and it's floating." he spat sarcastically.

"Yeah, I know it's a rock, stupid!"

"Could this be…the Wise One?!?" asked Kraden, staring at the floating boulders like the others. The boulder turned around the room, trying to stop the cavern from shaking.

"Such power…Incredible!" exclaimed Alex.

"Wow…" whispered Jenna in awe.

"It must be the guardian of the Elemental Stars!" yelled Satyuros.

"This doesn't look good…" muttered Felix, turning away from the Wise One and looking over at Satyuros and Menadi, "Maybe we should just escape while we can."

"But we need the Mars Star." said Menadi, "We cannot leave it behind!"

"I agree with Felix," said Alex calmly, "We are no match for the guardian."

"The Mars Star will have to wait for another day," said Satyuros with a sigh.

"What about Robin, Gerald, and Kanata?" asked Jenna, looking over at her friends, "You can't just leave them here!"

"Forget about them. They won't make it out alive."

"But, Satyuros, there's still a chance they might survive." said Menadi.

"Anything is possible…" agreed Satyuros, he looked over at Alex, "So what do you suggest we do?"

"We take this 'Jenna' with us…If they survive, they will want her back." said Alex, "And if they want her back, they will bring us the Star. Regardless, Kraden must come with us. He is connected to all this."

"Alex…Are you breaking our promise?" asked Felix, turning to the blue-haired man. Alex shook his head.

"Conditions have changed since we made that promise, Felix."

"Jenna's not any part of this," said Felix, taking a step forward, "I won't let you hurt her!"

"Do what you will with me," started Kraden, turning to Satyuros, "just let Jenna go!"

"Your bravery speaks well of you, old man, but you cannot help Jenna now."

"If we leave Jenna, she will surely die." explained Menadi, "Is that what you want, Felix?" Felix turned away and shook his head.

"Perhaps we ought to continue this elsewhere, Felix." said Alex.

"Felix…" whispered Jenna, looking up at her brother.

"Please…can we go now?" pleaded Alex.

"Okay…"

"Let's make haste!" said Menadi, pushing Jenna. The Fire Energist tripped and Felix caught her, glaring back at Menadi.

"Hey, don't push my sister!"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" asked Menadi, "You owe us your life!"

"Menadi!" yelled Satyuros before he turned to Kraden, "Master Kraden, you will be joining us, of course!" He and Menadi stood on either side of Kraden and the three walked into the portal.

"Robin, Kanata, Gerald! Don't die!" yelled Jenna as she entered the portal with Felix. Alex paused at the portal and looked back over to where the Mars Star was.

"The Mars Star…" he sighed, "It's a pity that we have to leave it, but perhaps we'll be seeing it soon…" With that, he entered the portal and disappeared.

Robin, Kanata, and Gerald leaned around the statue to make sure that everything was safe and then they hopped out from behind it, looking around "Well, this turned out badly, wouldn't you say?"

"I don't think it could get any worse, if that's want you mean." sighed Kanata, examining her staff for a moment.

"It's a miracle we survived," continued Gerald and then he looked over at the main platform, "Jenna and Kraden are gone! You don't think they'll hurt Jenna and Kraden, do you?"

"We have no guarantee that they are going to keep either of the safe." said Robin, leaning against the statue and folding his arms over his chest, "By the time we get out of here, they're probably going to be long gone."

"Thanks a lot…" snorted Gerald, "But seriously, Jenna and Kraden should be fine. Felix is with them…" Kanata shook her head.

"Felix…" Gerald looked around the cavern.

"This really is terrible…" he muttered, "We've got a long way to go if we're gonna make it out of here. We're in big trouble." Robin nodded in agreement, "Let's get out of here…" Gerald made to leave, but both Robin and Kanata were frozen in place, staring up at something.

"Uh…um…uh…" they both started to say, pointing up at that something.

"Hey, Robin, Kanata…" said Gerald, waving his hand in front of their faces, "Robin, Kanata, I'm over here. Come on, we've gotta go." He turned to look at what they were staring at and gasped. The Wise One was floating in the air next to them, still trying to hold back the rumbling.

"Why are you standing there?" he asked in an preternatural voice, "This place has become dangerous."

"You're the dangerous one!" yelled Gerald.

"The volcano will soon erupt…" said the Wise One, "I cannot hold it long. You must leave this place. The Elemental Djinn…they have returned…Take out the Elemental Star." Robin did as the Wise One asked him and removed the Mars Star from the lone Mythril bag he had tied around his belt.

The Wise One started to glow, "Return it to its bag." Robin nodded and put it away, "The Elemental Stars are…moving away from here…" explained the Wise One, "Without the power of the Elemental Stars to contain it, the magma flows freely once again, and this chamber is collapsing. There will be no chamber of the Elemental Stars to return to…The world will be exposed to the threat of Alchemy."

"Alchemy?" asked Gerald, "A threat?"

"It can be a dangerous power if it is misused…" continued the Wise One, "If the Elemental Stars ignite the flames of the four lighthouses, that power will be released. As long as the four lighthouses remain until…" The Wise One could not continue, the rumbling had returned and his power could not contain it any longer, "The volcano…It's erupting…Flee, now!"

Robin, Kanata, and Gerald looked at each other and then back to the Wise One, "But how can we escape in time…?" asked Robin, motioning to the falling rocks around them.

"Ah. I see…" he muttered, "I will help you." The Wise One began to glow again and then everything disappeared. When Robin opened his eyes again, he found himself with Kanata and Gerald outside of the Elemental Room again, in the Luna room.

"Did that floating eye thing save us?" asked Gerald.

"I suppose that he did…" started Robin. A huge rock fell on the ground next to him, making him jump back, "Aie! We have to get out of here right now!" Kanata and Gerald nodded.

"Yeah, right! Let's get out of here…" With that, they ran out of the Luna room and back to the entrance of Sol Sanctum.

-Haidia Village…near the stairway to Sol Sanctum-

"I thought Mt. Aleph was inactive…" said the high priest, looking up at the erupting mountain.

"Oooh, my grandson!" the mayor exclaimed, "Will Gerald be safe in this eruption?!?"

"Grandpa, we don't even know if he's up there!" yelled Gerald's sister over the rumbling earth.

"But, Sis, someone saw him and his friends climbing Mt. Aleph." said her little brother.

"They were hanging around here while I was on guard duty." started one of the priests. Dora shook her head, holding the hand of her youngest son, Mamoru.

"Robin and Gerald went to Kraden's house," she said as Mamoru tried to get away from her hold and run up the mountain to find his brother. Dora held her grip on her son's hand, not wanting to lose sight of him.

"Didn't they say they were studying Alchemy?" asked the mayor, turning to Dora.

"Yes, they did…but…what does that have to do with the eruption?" asked Dora, puzzled.

Robin, Kanata, and Gerald finally made it down the mountainside and to the bottom of the stairway, "Uh-oh! It's Grandpa and the others." Robin searched the crowd until he found his mother and little brother.

"My Mom's with them too, I told you! I told you!" he exclaimed, wanting to bang his head against the side of the tree in front of them, "What are we going to do now?"

Kanata shrugged, "We could either go down and explain what happened to them or go back and take our chances with Mt. Aleph." Robin and Gerald looked at each other.

"Yes, I'd rather take my chances with Mt. Aleph than with my Mother." said Robin, "Let's go back up."

They were about to head back up the stairway when they heard Mamoru call out to them, "Robin!" followed by Amiko and then Gerald's little brother.

"Kanata!"

"Gerald!"

"You're safe!" exclaimed the high priest.

"Come over here, the three of you!" yelled the mayor. The three Energists walked over to the adults, heads hung low, "Where have you been?"

"What happened?" asked the high priest before they could answer.

"…Well…" started Robin.

"Yeah…" nodded Gerald.

"Weren't Jenna and Kraden with you?" asked Dora, walking over to them, still holding onto Mamoru's hand. Robin waved to his little brother and then paused.

"They were taken away," he replied. The adults looked at each other, surprised and puzzled by the Earth Energist's answer.

"They were taken away?" repeated the high priest, "By whom?"

"Uh…well…you see…" started Kanata, looking from her friends back to the high priest.

"This is all very complicated," muttered the mayor.

"We'll need you to tell us exactly what happened on the mountain." said the high priest, "Come into the sanctum, all three of you." The high priest, and the mayor led the way to the sanctum and Robin, Kanata, and Gerald followed them. Dora made to go after them but she remembered Mamoru.

"You stay out here with Amiko, this is a little too big for the both of you." she said, letting go of Mamoru's hand and going in after Gerald. Mamoru ran after his mother but the door closed behind her, locking him out.

Mamoru pouted and turned around to look at his friend, "What are we going to do now, Amiko? I want to hear about what happened on Mt. Aleph." Amiko nodded in agreement.

"Follow me, Mamoru, I know where we can hear everything they are going to say without them even knowing we're listening in on them!" she led her fellow Earth Energist to the side of the sanctum and them they hopped up onto some wooden crates and looked through the open window, "See?" she whispered to Mamoru.

"I can't hear anything…" he complained.

"Just wait a second."

-Later-

After a long time of explaining everything that had happened that day, Robin, Kanata, and Gerald stood back to let everything sink in, "We had no idea…" whispered the mayor, "The true sanctum…"

"And Jenna and Kraden…" started Dora, "They're prisoners?"

"Yes," whispered Robin, "I do not know what role Felix plays in all of this yet, though…"  
"I am sure that he just wants to help his little sister." said Kanata hopefully, "I mean, you of all people know what goes on in Felix's head, Robin."

"That was three years ago," said Robin, rather harshly, "People can change a lot in that amount of time." Dora continued, ignoring the two teenagers.

"They've been taken against their will…How awful!"

"Do you think they can be saved?" asked one of the priests.

"Depends on who you send to try to save them, but yes, I do believe that they can be saved." said Robin, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. It had been a long day and so much had happened in such a short amount of time, it was surprising.

"Jenna's brother, Felix, will protect them, won't he?" asked the same priest. Robin shrugged his strong shoulders.

"I do not know, but I hope that he will at least protect his own sister." The mayor turned to look at the high priest, wondering why he had not said anything this whole time.

"What is it, Great Healer?" he asked, "You have been very quiet."

"It's like you're a thousand miles away." put in Dora.

"That hovering stone, the one that appeared before Robin…" started the high priest.

"What about it?" asked the mayor.

"I have seen it before in my dreams." explained the high priest, "In my mind's eye, it appeared again just now and spoke to me."

"You saw it just now?" asked Gerald.

"It must be the Wise One, guardian of the Elemental Stars. It told me what happened to you in Sol Sanctum."

"So, what does the Wise One say about the eruption?" asked the mayor.

"Will the volcano destroy Haidia Village?" asked Dora, now worried.

"It is impossible to stop the eruption now," whispered the high priest.

"Will Haidia Village be safe…?" asked one of the priests. The high priest bowed his head for a moment and then turned back to the others.

"Haidia will be safe." he said, "The Wise One will prevent the lava from reaching us." The high priest turned away again, a solemn look masking his face.

"What's the matter, Great Healer?" asked the mayor, worried about the high priest's silence.

"…The village will be destroyed, won't it?" asked Dora.

"Something even more dreadful than Haidia's destruction looms ahead," said the old man.

"What could be worse than the destruction of Haidia?" asked Gerald.

"A terrible power. The Elemental Star gems house incredible power."

"…And Haidia has been guarding those gems?" asked the mayor.

"The elemental lighthouses will loose that power upon the world," said the high priest, "Once the power of the gems has been released, the whole world will…"

"The Wise One wants us to get the gems back, doesn't he?" asked Dora, knowingly.

"This world is ours, to save or to destroy." said the high priest, "Our inaction may bring about its destruction."

"What a pity…" muttered the mayor.

"We cannot hope for salvation. We must save ourselves…"

"Then what can we do?" asked Dora.

"Acquiring the Elemental Stars is their fate alone," said the high priest, walking over to Robin, Kanata, and Gerald.

"Are you suggesting that we place the fate of the world…in the hands of Robin, Kanata, and Gerald?" asked Dora, flabbergasted. Robin spun around and looked at his mother.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Gerald is only a child," said the mayor, "You can't expect him to bear such a burden."

"Grandpa…" started Gerald.

"The Wise One has spoken," said the high priest, "Each of you shares responsibility for this. Now, each of you must make your own decision!" Kanata bowed her head.

"As one of the Legendary Warriors and guardian of the Jupiter Lighthouse, I have no choice whether to stay or to go. I have to complete my destiny and return the Elemental Stars to their rightful place." she said, "I must go." Gerald turned to Robin, sweating.

"I don't know what to do." he said, "Robin, you decide."

"Robin, will you accept responsibility for the fate of the land?" asked the high priest.

"…Yes, I want to know what is wrong with Felix. I also want to protect Weyard from harm." the Earth Energist turned around to look at his mother, "Is…that okay?"

"…It is your decision, Robin." Robin nodded and turned back to the high priest, nodding.

"You accept?" asked Gerald, "Oh, Robin…You can't mean it…"

"You chose to leave you decision to Robin," said the mayor, "There shall be no further discussion." The high priest turned around, walked to the altar and lifted his hand up.

"O, Wise One, these three have accepted your quest." he said, "Give us your next command!" There was a long pause before a shadowy image of the Wise One appeared above them.

"You three are quite brave to take on this quest. I shall be watching you. Choose your destiny wisely, young ones." with that said, he disappeared.

"That was the Wise One…" breathed Dora.

"What did the Wise One say?" asked the mayor.

"Felix must unlock the power," said the high priest, "Find the lighthouses…You'll have the guidance of the Elemental Star…"

"Um…then what?" asked Gerald. The high priest looked from Gerald to the others, wondering what they wanted him to say.

"What should they do there?" asked Dora.

"Surely, that cannot be all the advice you can offer them, Great Healer…" joined the mayor. The high priest nodded.

"Look for the other Legendary Warriors, they are the ones who guard and protect the elemental lighthouses. They will definitely be of great help in your quest. However, one of them may not be willing to join your party. Much will have to happen before he will join you."

"Isn't there anything else?" asked Gerald.

"That is all."

"That's it!?" asked the mayor, "Isn't there anything else you can tell them?"

"That is all, Mayor. I leave it up to you, Robin, Kanata…Gerald." the high priest bowed his head to them and then walked out of the sanctum. One of the priests looked over at the priest next to him.

"H-hey, isn't it almost…time to meditate?" he asked.

"Oh yeah! Meditation! Let's go!" they walked out the sanctum just as Amiko and Mamoru ran in. Mamoru ran to Robin, throwing his arms around his brother's waist.

"Let me go with you, Robin!" he cried as Robin tried to remove his hold on his waist. Amiko ran over to Kanata and tugged on her arm.

"Please, let me go with you, too, Kanata! If you go, what am I supposed to do here?" she asked. Kanata smiled and nodded, ruffling the seven-year-old's hair.  
"Of course you can come with me, Amiko, as long as you stay with me and never leave my sight." Amiko nodded and turned to watch Mamoru and Robin. Robin knelt down in front of his brother, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"You could get hurt." he was saying now, "And do you really want to leave Mom all alone?" Mamoru looked back at Dora and shook her head.

"But I want to go with you! I could help! And this is the perfect way for me to learn more about the world and about my powers." said Mamoru, "You just have to let me go with you!" Robin stood up again and looked over at his mother.

"It's Mom's decision not mine," he said simply. Dora shook her head.

"Let me think about it."

"When should they go?" asked the mayor, changing the subject.

"It doesn't sound like we can afford to wait," said Dora.

"Tomorrow, then?" asked the mayor.

"Tomorrow?" she looked at Robin and nodded, "Yes."

-That night-

Robin slipped his dark blue, long-sleeved shirt over his head and sat down on his bed, getting ready to rest up to leave his home tomorrow. It was a little surprising really. Just that morning, he was only worried about fixing the holes in the roof and now, he had to go off and save the world from destruction. Could he really pull it off? Sure he had Kanata, Gerald, and Amiko accompanying him and maybe even his own brother, but still he felt that there was something he was doing wrong.

The Earth Energist kicked off his boots and laid his head back on his pillow. He was about to close his pale blue eyes when there was a knock at his door. Robin sat up, reaching for his shirt when the door opened and Mamoru ran in, and hopping onto his brother's bed, "Robin! Mom said that I could go with you!"

Robin dropped his shirt where he had thrown it and blinked, "She's letting you go with us tomorrow?" Mamoru nodded happily, "That's…great, Mamoru." he said, forcing a smile. Mamoru nodded again and hopped off Robin's bed.

"Mom's packing everything that I'll need for the trip now. This is going to be so much fun!" Mamoru ran off, closing the door behind him. Robin heard Mamoru bouncing down the stairs and then run into their mother's room. Robin fell back onto his pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

Now he was responsible for making sure that Mamoru remained safe. He closed his eyes and turned over in his bed, looking out the window. Then something made him feel calm, something far from Haidia Village and he smiled to himself, 'I can do this…I just have to do this…'

-Tomorrow-

Robin, Kanata, Gerald, Amiko, and Mamoru stood out in front of the gate, making sure that they said all their good-byes and have everything that they needed for the trip to the next town, and in case they did not make it to Vault in time, they had more. The high priest smiled proudly at the group, "We are counting on you, Robin." he said, "We are counting on all of you."

"Don't drink the water if it smells funny." said Gerald's sister.

"I know not to drink stagnant water, Sis!" snapped Gerald. His brother walked over to Robin.

"Don't listen to him, Robin!" he said, "He's a pig! He'll eat anything that's not tied down!" One of the priests turned around and looked at the crowd of people that had gathered to say good-bye to the Energists.

"Hmm…Dora is very late…" Robin looked around and shook his head. Mamoru tugged on the edge of Robin's tunic.

"Is Mom going to see us off, Robin?" he asked.

"I don't thing so, Mamoru," whispered Robin, ruffling Mamoru's hair.

"I guess we're all set to go, huh, Robin?" asked Gerald.

"What do you mean?" 

"Think again, Gerald!" his sister said, "It must be very difficult for Dora…"

"As Gerald's mother, I know how Dora must be feeling. But I still have Gerald's father, while Dora has only you and Mamoru. She doesn't want the two of you to go, Robin, but she knows both of you have to, and it hurts to see you to leave."

"They can't keep standing around here like this, or they'll leave. So, one final farewell!" said the mayor.

"FAREWELL!" Kanata smiled and shook her head.

"We have to get going soon or Satyuros, the others are going to get ahead of us, and then we'll never be able to catch up with them in time to stop them." she said.

"I agree." said Robin, "We do not have time to stick around in one place for too long. It is going to take us a couple of days to reach Vault and restock our replies."

They turned around, waved to the villagers and walked through the gates, taking their first steps into a very long journey.

-A week ago…Karei Town-

Ivan sat in his room, a thick, leather bound book sitting in front of him. There was not much to do that day and he kept thinking about something that Okami had told him a few days ago, something about that storm that happened near a place called Haidia Village. The storm was important to the people all over Weyard, but the younger teen refused to go into it anymore than that. Ivan turned the page of his book just as someone knocked on his door.

The Air Energist stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it and blinked up at the guard that stood out in the hallway in front of his door, "Yes…?"

"Lady Layana and Lord Hammet wish to see you, Ivan." The guard turned around and walked back down the corridor. Ivan stared after him, puzzled and then made his way to the throne room.

Ivan opened the door to the throne room and took a couple of steps into the large room before bowing to Hammet and Layana, "You wished to see me, Lord Hammet, Lady Layana."

"Yes, Ivan. I am going on a caravan to Vault, would you like to accompany me?" asked Hammet. Ivan looked up, surprised at the sudden offer.

"…You are…asking me to come with you…?" he asked, unsure of what he heard. Hammet nodded, "But…why?"

"I thought that it would be nice if you could see how the rest of Weiard works. It might be a very useful experience for you. You could learn a lot by traveling," said Hammet. Layana smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Ivan. This could be a very good thing for you. You have not left Karei Town before, have you?" Ivan was about to nod, but thought better of it.

He had left the protective walls of Karei Town before. Okami had talked him into leaving the town for a short time and they had taken a ship to Tolbi, to see what happened in the other continent. Ivan shook his head, "No, this would be the first time that I left Karei Town…"

"Wouldn't you like to visit another town? You could meet someone new." said Layana, making Ivan blush slightly.

"If I will not be a bother…I would like to accompany you on the caravan…" said Ivan softly. Hammet smiled.

"Very good. I only have one request." Ivan nodded, "You cannot tell Okami or Yoru about this or where you are going." Ivan's violet eyes widened.

"But they are my friends. Why can't I tell them where I am going? It takes a long time to get to Vault and back, they are going to start to worry about me if I do not inform them on where I am going to be." Hammet waved his hand.

"I doubt that that Okami would worry about you. He does not strike me as the kind of person who would worry about other people," said Hammet, waving his hand at Ivan, "So you have nothing to worry about. As for Yoru, he will be too worried about getting Okami to notice him, the gay bastard."

Ivan jumped a little at the harshness in his voice and he was about to say that Yoru was not when Layana shook her head, telling him that it would be best to let Hammet think what he wanted to think, "Get ready for a long trip then, Ivan. You, Hammet and the others are going to be leaving tonight so that you get to Vault in a week from now." Ivan bowed to Layana and Hammet again and excused himself so he could get ready.

'I won't be able to see Okami and Yoru for two weeks, maybe even more than that…' thought Ivan as he walked back to his room to get his things together. Regardless of what Hammet said, he knew that Okami would begin to worry about him within a couple hours time. Ivan usually hung out with Okami around noon and if he did not meet the young cross-Energist, Okami would look around town for him, 'If he finds out that I left without telling him…he'll be so mad…'

-That night-

Ivan tied his cape around his shoulders and looked out at the silent town. He could see a couple of candle still burning in a couple of rooms, but they soon went out as the owners finally went to bed. Hammet sat down in the seat and Ivan climbed into the seat of the wagon behind his, "We are going to use the secret passage out of here so that no one sees us leaving town." Ivan nodded, not really hearing what Hammet was saying to him. He just wanted to get this trip over with.

Then he felt it. Something was telling him that he was supposed to be going to Vault, and that something…someone would be meeting him very soon, someone that would change his life forever in a very special way.

-TBC-

A/N: That was long, I know, but I got into it this time. We all should know who this person is who is going to change Ivan's life in a "special" way. Just in case you have not guessed…its ROBIN! *innocent smile* Plus, my heart goes out to Gackt-sama for his loss. A close friend of mine informed me about this recently and it is just so sad, she was almost in tears telling me about this *bows*

The next chapter will take a while to be updated because I am sure that it will be almost, if not as long as this chapter, but hopefully this chapter made up for me not updating any of my stories in a long time. I have been writing, but mainly stories that I cannot post. …Not anything hentai if that is what you are thinking.


	2. New things can be fun

Water and Wind

By Padfoot-chan

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the GS characters. I only own Okami, Yoru, Ryou, Daisuke, and Mamoru. Aoshi belongs to Ivan and Kanata and Amiko belong to Hoshi (aka Felix-chan ^^).

Notes: Shonen-ai warning! Don't like, don't read. Flames shall be handed to Okami and he shall throw them in the fires of Hell where they belong. GS couples: Robin/Ivan and Felix/Picard.

Thanks for the review, Ammy-san. I am glad that you like it ^^

Sorry for the delay everyone, but I have been so busy with handing out Valentine's Day gifts to my friends and finishing my essay. I was planning on making this longer…but you know what? Paddy is very tiered and she has had a long, confusing week of boys…and more boys. One more boy and I swear I'll kill him if he touches me.

Chronos: Hug! *starts walking toward Padfoot-chan*

Back off! *freezes Chronos* Paddy just froze Time!

Okami: You also made a pun…*smirks*

I promise to make the third chapter twice as long. Promise…promise…promise…*passes out*

Happy Valentine's Day, minna-san! *hands out candies and plushies*

R+R please.

Padfoot-chan's comment for the chapter: Death to the masses of Love Bugs!

Chapter Two: New things can be fun…and dangerous

Okami woke up early that morning. He had a bad feeling that he was missing something close to him, but for some reason, he just could not place his finger on what that something could possibly be. The fourteen-year-old sat up in his bed and looked out the window, frowning at the pale morning light. It was not just a feeling; something was definitely strange about this morning.

The young cross-Energist closed his eyes and searched the town for anything amiss. No one in his house was feeling ill, so he searched Yoru's place next. Nothing wrong there…Ivan? Okami turned his attention to Hammet's palace and he looked for his friend, 'That can't be right…' thought Okami, frowning, 'I can't sense Ivan anywhere in the palace…where could he possibly be?'

Okami shook his head and lifted himself out of his bed, getting dressed after he quickly took a shower. The youth looked around the room to make sure that no one else was awake and he ran out the door, closing it behind him. Okami looked around the town and found that most of the villagers were still sleeping in their houses. This gave Okami a perfect chance to head up to the palace without anyone asking him what he was up to.

He turned the corner of his house and ran along the path that led directly to the stairs that would take him to the palace. The two guards standing in front were both sleeping, leaning against the side of the palace. Okami smiled to himself as he crept up to them and them slipped through the door after he pushed it open.

The palace was silent, except for the few servants that were preparing for the day. They paid Okami little attention when he swept past them, heading strait to the throne room where he knew Lady Layana would be sitting in her throne, making sure that everything in the town was running smoothly.

Without knocking on the throne doors, Okami threw the large wooden doors open and walked in. Just as he thought, Lady Layana was sitting in her throne, a large book set out in front of her. She jumped when Okami threw the doors open, making them slam against the stonewalls on either side of them. The woman looked up and frowned at the young man that walked toward her, "Okami, what is the meaning of this? You do not just burst in on someone like that."

Okami stood a few feet away from Lady Layana now, "Where is Ivan?" The woman froze and turned back to her book, her back rigid, "Lady Layana, I asked you a question and you would be wise to answer me quickly, before I become angry with you."

"…He is not here, Okami," she said simply, "And you cannot see him for a couple of weeks." Okami harrumphed and turned away from the woman. He was about to leave the throne room when Layana looked up and called out to him. The cross-Energist paused in the doorway and glanced back at the woman without turning around, "What are you thinking about doing, Okami?"

"My thoughts are mine alone, Lady Layana. However, you shall not see me for a very long time. I am going on a journey and that it all…you need to know." he bowed to her and continued through the doorway, letting the doors slam shut behind him.

Okami hurried past the guards, lept down the stairs and ran back to his house after he made sure that everyone was still asleep. He walked up the stairs that led to the second floor and he snuck back into his room, locking his door behind him.

His visions of that room, or cavern, had become stronger and more intense with each passing night and last night, he had just seen a very clear vision. The vision held no people in it like his previous visions; instead, there were four strange, yet oddly familiar statues with their hands held out in front of them. Just like the previous visions, each held a different colored orb in its stone hands.

Okami now knew what those orbs were and that if they had not been taken by now, they would be stolen very soon. He did not have time to sit around Karei Town while this happened. It was his destiny to, as well as Yoru's, to protect the elemental lighthouses and if the four Elemental Stars had been removed from Sol Sanctum, then the elemental lighthouses could be lit using the power of the Stars.

Okami shivered slightly and spun around, running to his bathroom and leaning over the sink to vomit. He could feel it already. It was feeble now, like the powers he felt when he had his visions, but he could tell that it was close at hand. If he did not act now…he might be too late to stop the Stars from being stolen.

Okami wiped his face on a towel and walked out of his bathroom, moving toward his bed on shaky feet. He collapsed on his bed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before he sat up again and grabbed a bag that sat underneath his bed. Okami scratched his head and looked around his room, wondering what he should take with him. With his magical knowledge, he would not need to bring clothes with him, nor would he have to bring a kindling kit to light the fires at night. All he would really need to carry with him would be his sleeping bag.

Okami stood up, grabbed his light blue sleeping bag from his closet and throw it into his bag. He heard footsteps outside his door and he froze for a moment until he heard the owner hurry down the stairs and into the kitchen. Okami sighed and tied his bag, throwing it back under his bed. He would have to leave at night to make sure that no one found out about it and informed Lady Layana, the less that woman knew, the better.

There was a light tap on Okami's door and he stood up, unlocking it and then throwing it open. Richard stood there wearing his uniform of the palace guards already, "I have to head up to the palace with Yoru's father early this morning, is that okay?" Okami nodded, wondering why Richard would come to his room and tell him this, he usually just left without a word to Okami, "I won't be back until around midnight so take care of your mother and your little sister while I am gone."

Okami frowned slightly at the tone of his voice, "Is something happening?" The man shook his head, laughing slightly.

"No, not to worry, I just do not want you wondering off." This did not seem to have the effect on Okami that Richard was hoping for. Okami stood tall and shrugged his shoulders.

"I am going over to Yoru's house after breakfast, I am going to spend the night there as well." he said quickly. Richard looked taken aback by the suddenness of this news, but not for long, he nodded simply and gave Okami a quick smile. The man turned away from his foster son and walked down the hall. He stopped at the stairway and looked back at the young man.

"I know that you feel that you cannot trust us, Okami, and that may be because of your godfather's influence on you." said Richard, making Okami's eyes flash menacingly, "However, we are there for you and we want to help you in anyway we can. Your godfather probably cannot even say that he is there for you. Then again, do you really think he cares?" Okami placed his hand on the doorknob and slipped out, slamming the door behind him.

"My godfather is the only person left alive that still remembers my parents, he was the one I was supposed to go to once my parents died, but that did not happen, did it?" asked Okami, sweeping past the man and walking down the steps. However, he did not go into the kitchen as he said he would, instead, he hurried out the door without a word to Melissa as she poked her head out of the kitchen.

Okami stopped when he reached the town square and took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves before he lost himself to his anger completely. His godfather lived in the village that protected the Elemental Stars, which would have worked out perfectly for him if he had been able to stay with him, but due to some difficulties with the foster home Okami had been sent to, his godfather had been found unsuited for looking after someone as complicated as Okami.

"What's with the long face, kiddo?" asked a voice behind Okami. He smiled as Yoru appeared at his side, leaning on his staff as usual. Okami turned to look up at him and smiled cheerfully at Yoru's golden eyes.

"I never thought that I would see you up this early in the morning, Yoru." teased the younger boy, kicking at Yoru's boots, "What are you doing up so early anyway?" Yoru shrugged his shoulders and led Okami over to one of the large fountains that sat at the foot of the stairs that led up to Hammet's palace. Okami sat down on the edge of the fountain and Yoru leaned over and watched the crystal-clear waters.

"I felt something…" he whispered, "I know that my Air powers are not as strong as yours, but still…" Yoru shot Okami a quick smile before he turned back to stare at the water in front of him. Okami blinked at him a couple of times and let out a tiered sigh.

"Can I stay at your house tonight?" asked Okami, "I told Richard that I was going to stay over at your place."

"Why did you do that?" asked Yoru, surprised, "I thought that you were finally getting along with your foster parents. What happened this time?" Okami shook his head.

"Richard said that he was going to be at the palace all day and that he wanted me to look after Hamako and Melissa. For some reason, and I don't know why, I told him that I was going to spend the day with you and sleep over at your house…" Yoru waved his finger at Okami.

"Considering that you never did that before, I am sure that he was bound to find that a little weird, Okami." stated Yoru, "But why were you in such a tizzy just now? That little fight you had would not have brought you out of your house so quickly."

"He started to talk about my godfather…" started Okami, "He said that he was influencing me and that he did not care about me." The young cross-Energist shook his head quickly; fighting back the urge to say everything he wanted to about what had happened, "Regardless…of that…you are correct."

"What?" asked Yoru, quickly trying to think about what he had said before that would have caused Okami to say something like that. He did not have to think long; Okami quickly explained to him what he had meant.

"About feeling something, my visions have become clearer now and I can see the Elemental Stars in each of them. The visions are all the same, someone is trying to steal the Elemental Stars, probably to fire the beacons in each of the elemental lighthouses." Yoru jumped and looked down at Okami, sitting down next to his quickly, "Yes…" he whispered, "As we have been taught, if the lighthouses were to be lit, the yamis of the Legendary Warriors will awaken and use their powers to destroy Weyard."

"We have to stop the Elemental Stars from being stolen. How much time do you think we have before your vision comes to pass?" Okami shook his head before resting his face in his hands, thinking back to his vision carefully.

"A week, maybe even less than that. Also…Ivan's gone." announced Okami, "I went up to Hammet's palace this morning when I felt something unusual in the air. Lady Layana told me that he was not in the palace and that he would not be back for a couple of weeks."

"There is only a few places he could have gone, probably with one of Hammet's caravans." Okami cocked his head to the side, trying to remember where Hammet's caravans usually took him, "I suspect they went up north this time, near Haidia Village."

"But I doubt that Haidia Village will be willing to trade with Hammet, not after his little run-in with the mayor a few years ago." Okami pulled out a small map from his tunic and unfolded it, "That leaves…quite a few places. The closest to Karei Town is…Vault. Lord Hammet could have stopped there on his way to a larger town, but I hear that there is a little trouble in Bilibin."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble are we talking about?"

"I do not think that it is the kind of trouble that the Legendary Warriors need to be involved in, we have more important things to worry about other than the simple troubles of townspeople." Yoru shook his head, disapprovingly, "What is it?"

"The peoples troubles are our troubles, Okami. The Legendary warriors are supposed to help everyone out. We would live an extremely boring life if we merely waited around for someone to try to steal the Elemental Stars so they could fire the beacons of the elemental lighthouses." explained the older cross-Energist, "Besides, I know that you like to help people deep down, no matter how much of a tough guy you try to be."

Okami frowned and quickly muttered, "I do not have a clue as to what you are trying to imply, Yoru."

"We should get back to my house then, I promised Lucas that I would take him out to the forest to explore a bit." Okami stood up with Yoru and let him lead him back to Yoru's house.

"I have to…leave tomorrow morning then." said Okami, "To go to Haidia Village and make sure that nothing happens to the Stars. If I do not leave tomorrow, I do not think that I will be able to get there in time to stop my visions from becoming reality. I do not even think that leaving tomorrow will help, the least I will be able to do is prevent the Stars from getting to the first lighthouse."

"Which one is the closest?"

"I believe that it is the Mercury Lighthouse. It's in the north, near a town called Imil." Okami stretched his arms toward the air and leaned against the side of Yoru's house, "I hope that it doesn't take too long for me to reach Haidia, but I know that it will take a long time to reach Imil, so whoever is after the Elemental Stars will have to rest up a lot on the way."

"You know that I am going with you, right? This is a job for the Legendary Warriors, all of us, not just you." said Yoru, rather forcefully, "You always try to push others away from you and that is just not fair. You have to let me come along with you and if you do not, you know that I will follow you." Okami gritted his teeth but decided that it was not worth it to get into an argument with Yoru right now, he would merely keep insisting that Okami let him accompany him on his quest.

"Do whatever you want, Yoru, I will not stop you."

-That night-

Okami pushed his covers off his body after he made sure that Yoru's was still sleeping. He rose off the futon and felt around in the dark for his brown leather boots. The fourteen-year-old pulled them on, laced them up and reached for his sleeping bag. Okami got onto his knees, crawled over to Yoru's bed and poked at his cheek. Yoru was fast asleep and there was no waking him up now.

Okami smiled to himself and quickly made his way to the window. He lifted it, climbed up onto the windowsill and hopped out of the window. The youth landed on the ground gracefully, turned around and with a quick wave of his hand, shut the window to Yoru's bedroom, 'I'm sorry about this, Yoru, but I cannot risk anyone getting hurt. There is something very powerful in the north right now and I fear that if you come with me, we will have to fight that power…I cannot take that risk…'

The cross-Energist wrapped his cloak around his shoulders and tossed his pack around his shoulder, quickly heading for the town gates. The two guards standing on their side of the gates were both sleeping, leaning against the sides of the iron gate. Okami glared at the guards for a moment before passing on through, placing an invisible barrier around the town to protect the townspeople from harm.

-Later-

Okami paused when he heard a deep growl from the bushes a couple of feet in front of him. Two red eyes appeared through the branches of the bush and the cross-Energist dropped his pack on the ground. A bright flash of light lit up the area and a bloody sword appeared in Okami's hand, "Do not delay me from my destiny!" he yelled, charging forward as the thing stepped out of the bushes.

There was a strangled yelp as Okami's sword slashed across the monster's stomach and he rolled to a stop a few feet away from his pack. The sword disappeared and Okami massaged his hand, flinching slightly at the pain of summoning his weapon after so long, 'I really need to keep in practice with that thing or I'll be out of luck.' thought Okami, getting to his feet and lifting his pack off the ground.

The cross-Energist looked around the field to make sure he found the dirt path again and he started for the north again. Hopefully he would run into Ivan before he had to go to Haidia Village, maybe the Air Energist knew something about the Elemental Stars as well. It was always fun to talk with a fellow Air Energist about their visions.

-That morning…Karei Town-

Yoru groaned as he rolled over in his bed, falling out of it and hitting the wooden floor. He flinched, waiting for Okami to yell at him for being so noisy in the morning, but when nothing came, Yoru's eyes fluttered open. The futon Okami had been sleeping in previously was now empty, no note, no nothing. Yoru cursed to himself softly and ran to the window, throwing it open and looking around the town.

He could see a gentle blue glow hanging over the town, meaning that Okami had placed a protective barrier around Karei Town. Yoru shook his head, "Okami…why do you always do this to me?" A gentle breeze blew back Yoru's light blue hair and he turned away from the window, rushing to dresser and grabbing some clothes and then walking into his bathroom.

After he showered and dressed, he grabbed his staff and ran out the door. The cross-Energist lept down the stairs and was about to run out the door when he heard his mother clearing her throat, "And where are you planning on going without Okami?" Yoru froze and turned around, smiling weakly at the small woman.

"Okami isn't here, Mom. I was planning on…going after him." His mother shook her head. The aging woman rose out of the chair she was sitting in and crossed the room until she reached her oldest son. Yoru looked down at his mother, his golden eyes searching her pale gray ones for answers, "Mother…?"

"You make me so proud whenever you call me that…even though I am not your real mother." Yoru's eyes widened at this, his heart stopping for a swift moment. The woman who he had trusted with almost everything, the woman he had called Mother, the woman who had come into his bedroom at nights and comfort him after he had a nightmare when he was younger. She was not his biological mother… Then what of the man he called his father. Was that a lie as well…? Was everything he had been told growing up merely a lie?

"What do you mean you aren't my mother?" he asked as soon as he found his voice, "If you are not my mother…then who is my mother? Is the man that I call Father, really my father or is that a lie too?" The woman in front of him smiled weakly, brushing his light blue bangs out of his golden eyes. Yoru turned his head to the side quickly, and her hand fell back to her side.

"Please do not be like this, Yoru," she begged.

"Is that even my real name? Or is it just something that you came up with?" asked Yoru, his eyes flashing dangerously. He did not get mad very often and it was very hard to anger him, but when someone did manage to ruffle his feathers, it was very hard to appease him once he is mad at them.

The woman shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment before looking back up at the cross-Energist with a pleading look in her frail eyes, "Yes, your name is really Yoru…However, neither your father nor I are your real parents. You came to us almost the same way Ivan arrived here. It was a stormy night, over thirteen years ago. Okami's parents were still alive and they were out traveling the coast, enhancing Okami's powers." she said softly, "On this night, they had just reached the coast near Venus Lighthouse when they heard something out-of-sorts. It was a child crying and that child…was you."

Yoru shook his head. This was too much to take in. Okami had just left for who knows where and now he found out that his parents and probably his so-called little brother were not even his real family. He closed his eyes, resting his face in his hands. Something in his memory flashed back to a strange island surrounded by mist. Images of people with hair and eyes similar to his flashed before his minds eye.

The cross-Energist covered his mouth and opened his eyes again, taking a step back, away from the woman that stood in front of him. He stared at her with fearful eyes before he turned around, grabbed the doorknob and throw the front door open, stepping out into the morning light, "I…I have to go find Okami…" he said, his voice trembling. Before the woman could say or do anything to stop him, Yoru was out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Yoru tore out across the courtyard until he reached the town gates, leaning on the side of gates. He pressed his forehead against the cool stone of the gates, trying to get his emotions under control. Okami had taught him never to let his emotions run away from him, to always be in control and never to let your emotions control you or you would lose control over your powers and then you could consider yourself dead. "Okami…" he whispered softly, closing his eyes tightly before straightening up and looking out at the open field that led away from Karei Town.

He glanced back at his house, planning to never return there. Yoru shook his head and took a step out of the town gates, a cool breeze passing over him, the protective barrier that Okami had placed around Karei Town washing over him and disappearing as he stepped away from it. The familiar sense left him and now all that remained was a lost, numb feeling.

'This must be how Okami feels…' thought Yoru, his heart tightening painfully in his chest as he leaned heavily on his staff. He shook his head, his golden eyes burning with a new fire, 'I cannot think about that now. I have something important to do now. Okami said that he had a vision about the Elemental Stars being stolen from Sol Sanctum. He may think he can handle it on his own and he may be right, but the least I can do is give him some support. Besides…I don't think that I can stay in Karei Town any longer.'

Yoru took a deep breath and turned to the north, beginning his long journey to Haidia Village where the Sol Sanctum lay in wait.

-A week later and a day later: wherever Robin and the others are-

Robin turned around just in time to see Mamoru collapse to his knees in exhaustion. Kanata and Amiko turned around as Robin hurried to his brother's side, kneeling down next to him to see if he was feeling okay, "I suppose I'm just a little tiered…" came Mamoru's ragged reply. Robin shook his head slowly, glancing up at the sun in the sky.

"We have been walking for a long time, Robin," said Kanata as Gerald and Amiko plopped down onto the grass under a shady tree next to them, "Don't you think it is about time we took a little break?" Robin looked back at Kanata, frowning slightly.

"Yes…it is about time you guys took a break." The Earth Energist picked Mamoru up and set him under the tree in between Gerald and Amiko, "But we still need to catch up with those people who stole the Elemental Stars, so I'll go on ahead of you and you can meet up with me in Vault."

"But Robin, doing that would be dangerous." said Gerald, wondering if the heat along with the hours of walking had finally gotten to his friend, "What if you run into some monsters on the way to Vault? It's still a few hours away, maybe a little more."

"All the more reason for me to keep going." replied Robin, standing up after ruffling Mamoru's hair, "If I do run into a monster, I doubt that it is going to give me much trouble, if it does…I guess I'll just try to run to Vault if I can. Do not worry about me, I will be fine. Take care of Mamoru for me and make sure that you two do not take any wrong paths."

"Can't you stay, Robin?" asked Kanata, trying to think of a way to make the Earth Energist change his mind about continuing on his own, "What if Gerald gets us lost or something? We could spend days in the woods and have to fight our way through monsters and all sorts of other beasts. What if we run into a gang of thieves?" Robin laughed at this.

"I am sure that the four of you have nothing to worry about from a gang of thieves. Kanata, you are a special Energist, remember?" asked the Earth Energist, his light blue eyes lighting up as he knew he would soon win this little argument. Kanata nodded, her frown reaching her eyes, "Just trust me on this and you will be able to get to Vault a couple of hours after me. Rest until you feel like you can travel again. I'll see you in Vault."

Without waiting for his friends to say anything, Robin turned his back to them and walked down the hill in the direction of Vault. Gerald sighed, rolling his eyes at Kanata as she sat down next to Amiko, letting her pack slip to the ground next to her, "His heart is really into this…" she said thoughtfully. Gerald smiled weakly and nodded.

"Probably because Felix is involved with this," said Gerald simply. Kanata blinked, turning to look at the Fire Energist, puzzled. Gerald smiled quickly, "Robin takes this as a personal insult to himself because Felix is his best friend and he trusted him three years ago, that was before we thought he died. Robin may not have shown that he was hurting but he dealt with it in his own way, I suppose we all did."

Kanata turned away, staring at the horizon line, wondering how far Robin could have gotten by know. Knowing him, he would probably be near there by now, "Why do you think Felix is helping them, Gerald? It just does not seem like something that he would do. He really looked out for Robin when we were younger, they were inseparable. It's just a little more than I can handle to think that they could actually have to fight each other one day."

"Both of them are too proud…to back away from a fight like that." said Gerald, "I just hope that that day never comes. I may not be the smartest person in the world but I do not think that Felix is doing this just for the hell of it." Kanata shot Gerald an angry look before glancing down at Mamoru and Amiko, only to be meet by the sight of both Earth Energists lying on the grass, sleeping.

Kanata smiled, "Yes, that does not seem like the Felix we know, but people change and three years is a lot of time for someone to change. You saw how much Robin changed in that amount of time."

"We all changed after what happened three years ago. Jenna thought she lost all her family only to find out that her brother was alive this whole time traveling with those strange people. Robin lost his father in the accident and his best friend." Gerald shook his head, leaning back against the tree trunk, "Even if we do get the Elemental Stars back and Felix returns to Haidia Village with us, do you think that their relationship is going to be like it was before? Too much has happened and now Felix has betrayed Haidia Village and his own sister…"

"It is a lot to think about," muttered Kanata, wondering why Gerald was being so thoughtful and incisive all of the sudden. She smiled to herself. Yep, a lot has happened in three years, "Right now, we should get some rest so that we can catch up with Robin as soon as we can."

"Peh. Mr. Overachiever Robin is going to be just fine by himself." said Gerald, folding his hands behind his head, "Just you wait and see, I am sure that he'll even meet someone there and they'll fall in love." Kanata giggled.

"Robin in love? I would like to see that."

-An hour or so away from Vault-

Robin slid down the side of the hill he had been running along. Normally it would have taken an hour to get where he was now from where he had left his friend, but he had made it there in thirty minutes or less and he could already see the small silhouette of Vault off in the distance.

As the Earth Energist reached the top of the next knoll, he paused, looking out at the small village. There was something calling out to him, something so familiar and yet so foreign at the same time. Robin shook the feeling off quickly, hurrying down the hill until he reached a large open field.

He was about to continue through the field to Vault when he was suddenly surrounded by a group of monsters. The monsters were all at least a foot taller than him and each of them had three, razor sharp claws on their furry paws. Robin took a step back, looking around at the monsters that had formed a tight circle around him. There was no escaping from the monsters now, not unless he thought of something quickly.

Robin reached for his sword and pulled it out of its sheath quickly, holding it out in front of him. He held up his left hand, his brown glove already glowing with a golden light. Three of the monsters charged forward and Robin lifted his hand into the air, causing the earth in front of them to rise out of the ground and impale them. This attack still left around seven monsters left and none of them seemed happy about his last attack.

Robin dodged as two of the monsters came after him. He rolled along the ground and waved his hand at them, summoning rocks to come crashing through their bodies and out again. The two monsters fell to the ground, staining the grass with their purple blood. Robin rose to his feet just in time to avoid being cut by one of the monster's claws.

The Earth Energist ran his sword across the monster's chest, slicing open a gaping wound. The monster he wounded fell to the ground near its companions. Robin turned back to the four monsters that were still left. He was about to charge forward for a physical attack of his own when three sharp claws ran along his back, cutting through his armor, through his light blue tunic, through his dark blue shirt and then slicing three bloody cuts into his pale skin.

Robin fell forward, his eyes wide with the intense pain the monster's claws had brought him. He was about to black out, about to give up all hope when he heard a shout. The voice sounded angelic, even though it carried a lot of force and anger behind it. Robin's eyes lolled just as someone lept in front of him, "COATLICUE!" yelled the voice before Robin passed out.

-Hours later-

A cool washcloth was pressed to Robin's forehead as a pain filled moan escaped his lips; "Do you think he is going to be okay, Okami?" asked a voice nearby, probably belonging to the person who was now brushing his long, dirty blond bangs out of his closed eyes. The was the sound of movement somewhere in the room and then came the voice from before, but this time it was much calmer, a little hint of a carefree attitude mingling with some form of disregard.

"I summoned Coatlicue so he should be just fine with a little rest. I came just in time to save him from those monsters. If I had been at least one second late…" there was a pause as the young man talking shifted his weight uncomfortably to his other leg, "Let's just say it is a good thing that I got there when I did."

"Where do you think he's from?" asked the first person who was sitting in a chair next to the bed where Robin lay, eyes shut in pain. There was a quick laugh, "Why are you laughing, Okami? I just want to know why he was out in the field like that. There have not been many travelers out in these parts ever since Mt. Aleph erupted a couple of days ago."

"Wait until he wakes up, Ivan, then you can ask him all the questions that you want." A smirk crossed the young man's lips, "But I find it quite fascinating that you would show so much interest in someone that you just met…"

"Wha-what do you mean, Okami? You-you're crazy." Robin pressed his hands to his eyes, letting the damp cloth over his eyes slip to the bed. The two young men who had been talking suddenly stopped, a little surprised that the Earth Energist was awake.

Robin sat up, drawing his knees up to his chest so he could rest his chin on one of his knees. He turned his gaze to the closet person to him, his heart skipping a beat at the sight in front of him. Sitting on a small wooden stool next to the bed that Robin was sitting up in was a young man with solemn, violet eyes and dirty blond hair, "Where am I…?" asked Robin once he found his voice.

The young man with violet eyes reddened under the Earth Energist's gaze and turned his head to the side slightly, trying to avoid the light blue stare, "You are among friends…in Vault…" he said in a whisper, "My name is Ivan." He turned to the young man leaning against the wall. He had deep blue eyes that seemed to hold a hidden power, or at least it seemed that way to the young Earth Energist as he spared him a glace, "That is Okami…he was the one who saved you from those monsters a few hours ago. You have been resting in this house ever since he brought you here."

Robin bowed his head to the one named Okami, "I thank you. If it were not for you I would not be here." Okami tossed back his dirty blond hair, pushing off the wall and walking over to the middle of the room, near the door that led to the rest of the house.

"It was no problem. It would have been no problem for you either if you had rested instead of pushing yourself." he said a little bluntly. Robin frowned but he really could not argue with what the young man had just said to him because it was the truth, "Besides, I had to do something to help you, I couldn't just leave you there to die. You have something special to do."

Robin blinked up at Okami, wondering what this special something was that he had to do, "…What do you mean by that?" Okami smiled quickly.

"It may be a little early…" he turned to Ivan, "Can you go see if the Mayor has what I asked him for? I want to make sure that…" Okami paused, glancing at Robin, "I apologize…but we have yet to gain your name."

"Oh, my name is Robin and I am from the village in the north, Haidia Village." Okami nodded to Ivan now as the young man rose to his feet.

"Also, Ivan, do you think that you could go out to the well for me and get more water?" asked Okami, "I'm sorry to ask you for all of this, but-" Ivan shook his head, stopping Okami from saying anything else.

"No, I am happy to help out. I'll be back in a few minutes." He bowed to them and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Okami smiled at the closed door before he turned back to the Earth Energist. Robin turned to him, frowning slightly under his gaze.

"You have yet to answer my question," he said calmly, "For some reason I think I know what you are talking about, and if that is true…how would you possible know about what happened that day?"

"I know a lot more than you do, Earth Energist Robin." Robin gasped but before he could ask him how he knew that he was an Energist, Okami held up his hand to halt any further questions, "I am a Legendary Warrior, one of the four Energists who live in Weyard that are born with two different elements. I am of Water and Air; there is one of Air and Fire, one of Fire and Water, and one of Earth and Air. Each of the four Legendary Warriors, or cross-Energists as some call us, protect and guard one of the elemental lighthouses and their Elemental Stars.

The Elemental Stars were taken from our charge a long time ago and given to the people of a village called Haidia, your village. The reason for this is the special sanctum that was build atop Mt. Aleph years before Haidia Village was ever built. Energists around the world at this time felt that the people of Sol Sanctum would do a better job of protecting the Elemental Stars while the Legendary Warriors would merely protect the elemental lighthouses." explained Okami, pacing in front of Robin as he recalled everything he knew about Sol Sanctum, the Elemental Stars, and the elemental lighthouses.

"I have only met one Legendary Warrior that I can remember, but there was a time when the four of us were called together to relinquish our hold over the Elemental Stars." he bowed his head, "It was supposed to be a great day but something went wrong…A spell was cast on the Elemental Stars and the elemental lighthouses. Do you understand exactly why no one wants the elemental lighthouses lit? They were built and lit at one time, but why would someone want the brilliant fire of the four elemental lighthouses to cease to burn?"

"Kraden told me once that…if the elemental lighthouses' beacons were fired, it would release Alchemy upon Weyard once again and that would mean its destruction." said Robin, a little amazed at everything this young man had told him already. He would be a great ally could feel a strong aura surrounding the man who identified himself as Okami.

Okami smiled, "That is part of the reason, but Alchemy is not a danger, it is merely what we have told people to believe. It is better that way and there is little need for explanation with an excuse like that, don't you agree?" Robin nodded reluctantly, "The real reason we did not want anyone to fire the beacons of the elemental lighthouses was because of the spell that was placed on them.

Sleeping in the heart of each elemental lighthouse is an opposite of the Legendary Warriors, a person who would do everything the Legendary Warriors would never dream of doing. They are evil and the only way to awaken them from their slumber is to…fire the beacons of the lighthouse in which they sleep."

"And which lighthouse do you guard?" asked Robin.

"I guard the Venus Lighthouse," replied Okami, "The reason I said that you had something important to do, is because of the Elemental Star that you carry." Robin glanced at the table next to the bed to find his pack lying there, still closed, "If you are wondering if we went looking through your stuff, rest assured that Ivan stopped me before I could. Even though I saved you, I am sorry to say that I did not trust you and I was very reluctant to bring you into the care of one of my best friends. However, you do seem trustworthy and if the Wise One thought that you were worthy of carrying the Mars Star and setting out to return the other Elemental Stars, I think that helping you out was a very wise choice on my part."

"So you know about the Wise One…how much of what happened back in Sol Sanctum do you know?"

"I know everything. Air Energists can read peoples minds, see the future, and see things for what they really are, besides the basic ability to control the wind." explained Okami, "Ivan is an Air Energist himself, but he felt that it would be a little rude to read your mind while you were sleeping, so I did it instead."

"So Ivan is a…"

"He is an Energist just like us. Actually, since he is a full Air Energist, it would be that he is more like you than me." laughed Okami, "But I think that is besides the point when it comes to the two of you."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Robin, reddening a little bit at the younger teen's statement. Okami waved his hand.

"I can see the future. Ivan on the other hand, has yet to learn that ability as of yet, but he will eventually. That is besides the point…I think that if you have any questions, it would be best to ask them now before Ivan gets back, I have been warned not to tell him anything until the time is right. You, on the other hand, you can learn whatever you need to know merely by asking."

"Well…since you can see into the future, can you tell me if we will be able to get the Elemental Stars back?" he asked, unable to think of anything else.

"If I did that, you might not work hard enough to get the Elemental Stars back to Sol Sanctum." Okami looked down at the ground, his expression suddenly solemn, "But you have something to fight for, don't you? Your friend Jenna, and then there is still the question of where Felix's loyalty lays. Just remember this, Robin; nothing is what it seems and the line of good can sometimes blend into the line of what we deem wrong."

"The line of good…?" asked Robin, "You like to speak in riddles, don't you?" Okami smiled.

"Merely because I have been asked not to say this information on behalf of Felix's own confusion at this point in time." He turned away from Robin and walked over to the door, twisting the knob and pulling the door open. Okami leaned out the door, "Did the Mayor get what I asked him for?"

As Okami pulled out of the doorway, Ivan appeared there holding a small bag in left arm and a small bucket of water in his right hand, "Yeah, but do you think that you will still need it?" The cross-Energist took the bag and the bucket from the Air Energist, walking to the bedside and setting the bucket down on the stool.

"Actually, I think that it is very important now, but if it will work…" Okami paused as he turned back to Ivan, "Did the Mayor say anything about this? I know that it is very hard to find and actually being able to find it…" Ivan shook his head.

"Sorry, Okami, he didn't say a thing about it." Okami nodded and opened the woolen bag, tossing something over to Robin. The Earth Energist caught a small, pale violet crystal.

"A Psynergy Stone…"

"Almost, that is a Psy Crystal, it works about the same way as a Psynergy Stone but this can only be used once to recover all of your Psynergy, or multiple times with only small amounts." explained Okami. He smiled over at Ivan, "Ivan suggested it though. Part of the reason why you took so long to wake up was because those monsters had drained all of your Psynergy. You may not have noticed it while you were fighting them, but they were slowly draining your Psynergy and replacing it with a sort of sedative."

"Sedative?"

"In a sense." said Ivan, laughing, "It was supposed to calm you down enough to make you not want to fight, but I suppose that you were fighting a little too hard for the 'sedative' to work." The Air Energist walked over to the bedside, picked the damp washcloth up from the sheets and dipped it in the bucket of water sitting on the stool. Ivan wrung out the washcloth and handed it back to Robin.

They heard footsteps in the hallway and a little boy suddenly appeared, "Okami, Ivan! Lord Hammet just left with the others!" Ivan and Okami shared a quick glance before Okami tore out of the room, grabbing something in the corner of the room, "Okami, where are you going?"

"Not now, Xenos." The young boy shrugged at Ivan and Robin and disappeared down the hall, hurrying to catch up with Okami. Ivan turned to Robin, frowning slightly at the look on the Earth Energist's face.

"What was all that about? Who is Lord Hammet?" he asked. Ivan moved the bucket of water from the stool, to the floor and he sat down.

"Before I tell you, I suggest that you lay down and put that washcloth on your forehead. You still need to rest after having all of your Psynergy drained," Robin nodded and rested his head back against the pillow, setting the cool washcloth back on his forehead, "Lord Hammet is the lord of Karei Town, where Okami and I are from. Lord Hammet asked me to go on one of his caravans with him over a week ago. Normally he does not ask me to go, but for some reason he asked me to go this time…maybe if I had not come none of this would have ever happened…" he muttered.

"What do you mean by that?"

"A couple of days ago, just after I arrived in Vault with the caravan, things began to come up missing and then Okami came to Vault and said that he heard about a group of thieves headed this way. He suggested to the villagers that it might be the thieves he had heard about." explained Ivan, "Lord Hammet brought a special rod with him on the caravan and…left it in my care. I was careless with it and the thieves stole it." Ivan looked down at his slippers sadly, "If Lord Hammet had let Okami look after the rod he would still have it, so I suggested to stay behind until I found the rod."

"And he just let you stay behind on your own?" asked Robin, nearly sitting up. Ivan held up his hand, stopping Robin from lifting his head from the pillow.

"I asked to stay behind." came the Air Energist's quiet reply, "Besides, Okami says that he is going to stay here with me until we find the rod and if anyone can find that thing, it would be Okami. But…if you do not mind me asking, what are you doing here, Robin?" The Earth Energist smiled in spite of himself.

"Well…"

"Aieee!" Robin stopped before he could say anything else. The scream was familiar, but not enough for him to place it. Ivan on the other hand, knew the scream as soon as he heard it.

"That was Okami," he said, getting to his feet and grabbing a wooden staff from the wall, "Stay here and I'll check it out." Robin shook his as he rose to his feet, grabbing onto the edge of the bedside table to steady himself. The Earth Energist grabbed the leather strap of his sword and slung it over his shoulder.

"I'm coming with you, you don't know what it could be and you may need my help." Ivan was about to protest when he heard another familiar yell and then the roar of what sounded like a giant dragon.

"Fine, but please be careful." Robin nodded and walked over to the door, tripping over his feet along the way. Ivan grabbed his outstretched arm to help him from falling to the ground, "Maybe you really shouldn't…you can barely stand on your own to feet. Robin, why don't you just-"

Robin straightened up just enough to get his eyes level with Ivan's, "I'm fine, Ivan…you heard Okami scream a few minutes ago and from what I gather, a cross-Energist is supposed to be very strong. Who could have enough power to make him scream like that?"

"Regardless of how strong Okami is there are still a few people out there with enough power to defeat even him, especially with his careless nature out of a fight. He said that something was stolen a couple of nights ago, something that holds great importance to him and the other three Legendary Warriors…" Ivan paused, shaking his head; "We do not have time to talk about this right now, let's go."

"Okay."

-Outside of Vault a few minutes before Okami screams-

Okami slipped out of the back gates of Vault and looked around the open field. He had felt a sudden burst of power from the outer walls of Vault and now it had suddenly vanished? Power does not just appear and disappear without a reason. The young cross-Energist had originally come out here to talk to Lord Hammet, but when he got out in the field, the caravan had already headed toward the north, away from Karei Town.

He was just about to head back through the town gates when he felt a strong aura coming from behind him. Okami spun around just in time to see a giant water geyser shoot towards him. He summoned a whirlwind to absorb the attack and rolled along the ground to see a young man with elbow length, light blue hair and turquoise eyes.

The man smiled as Okami rose to his feet, both hands extended and already building up energy for a summon, "It seems you already know what I have." he said, motioning to the three pouches at his side. Okami's eyes widened, faltering in his summon, "Now, now, now. It is not good to lose your cool like that. Boreas!"

Okami looked up into the sky to see ice hurdling down toward him. The cross-Energist held up his hands to defeat against the attack, but as soon as the attack hit him, he collapsed to the ground, "Aieee!"

A bow made of Psynergy appeared in the man's hands along with an arrow made of ice. He fired one shot at Okami and then two more, breaking the ice that had now wrapped it self around the young cross-Energist. Okami fell backwards onto the floor, cradling his head in his hands, "Boreas…" he said in a pained voice, "I have never met a Mercury Energist who could summon him…"

"I am a special case, I suppose. However, that is not what you really want to know, is it?" he asked, "You want to know why someone would go to Sol Sanctum and steal the Elemental Stars, or try to steal the Elemental Stars at the very least. There are greater forces than you can ever being to comprehend at work here, dear Okami."

Okami looked up at the man, clutching the side of his ribs, "How did you know my name…?" he cross-Energist searched the man's turquoise eyes, trying to read his mind. The man waved his finger at Okami, smirking slightly.

"I would not try to do that if I were you." the man pulled out a chain that hung around his neck and showed Okami a violet jewel, "This is from the Jupiter Lighthouse in Atteka, it protects the wearer from any Air Energists who try to read their minds."

"If you are using a stone from Atteka, there must be a lot to protect." snapped Okami, "Why would you want to bring about the destruction of Weyard by firing the elemental lighthouses' beacons?" The man laughed.

"You still believe that the elemental lighthouses will mean the destruction of Weyard. Why would I be foolish enough to destroy the very place I call my home?" he asked, "There is a lot more going on around here than you know, Okami. I could tell you, but he wants you to figure it out for yourself, and you will figure everything out before long."

Okami gritted his teeth, "I've had enough of you and your cryptic shit." spat Okami, getting to his feet. He lifted his hands into the air, "Eclipse!" The azure sky above them darkened to a midnight blue and the puffy clouds parted to let a golden light seep through. A giant, golden dragon appeared in a sudden burst of blue violet light.

The man took a step back as the dragon flew over them, the gust of wind blowing his hair back, "Dammit." he muttered, talking another step back and looking over at Okami, "Be careful, Okami. I want us to meet again so that we can finish this." With that, he turned around and disappeared.

Okami looked up at the dragon and held out his arm. A golden light began to surround the giant dragon, causing it to shrink down to the size of a large bird and then it circled over Okami before finally landing on Okami's outstretched arm. The cross-Energist smiled at the dragon, reaching out a gloved hand to stroke its golden scales, "Sorry I have not summoned you in such a long time, Eclipse, but you are far too strong for the people I have been fighting against thus far…" he smiled. "Then again, I think that I am going to be able to summon you and Coatlicue more often now."

_That is just fine, Lord Okami, _said Eclipse, bowing its regal head, _Coatlicue and I understand what is going on and that you now need our services. The other summons have yet to be awakened yet, however, do you believe that the other Legendary Warriors are going to join you in your quest to retrieve the other Elemental Stars?_

Okami smiled at the golden dragon, "Yoru will not be aiding in this little adventure, he is still safe and sound in Karei Town. Catastrophe and Moloch may not be too happy about that, though. As for the Legendary Warrior of Mercury and Legendary Warrior of Jupiter, I do not know if they even are aware of the dangers that have arisen." He shook his head, "However, they will be warned soon enough, that man said that he planned on lighting the four elemental lighthouses. The Legendary Warriors will know as soon as someone enters their lighthouses. No one has been inside any of the four elemental lighthouses since the Dark Ages when the Elemental Stars were stolen from the lighthouses and the summons where created by the first Legendary Warriors."

_Ah, what a wonderful time the Dark Ages were. _said Eclipse, thoughtfully, making Okami laugh, _You are a lot nicer than my original master, of course, Lord Okami. I am proud to serve under you._

"Thank you, Eclipse."

"Okami!" came a yell from within Vault. Okami spun around to see Ivan and Robin making their way to him, rather awkwardly. Robin was leaning on Ivan with the Air Energist supporting most of his weight. The cross-Energist turned to Eclipse and lifted his arm into the air, letting the dragon take flight.

'I shall summon you as soon as I leave Vault, Eclipse, tell Coatlicue that I may be in need of her services soon as well.' The dragon let out a little roar and disappeared behind a puffy cloud. Okami hurried over to Ivan and Robin before they could reach the town gates, "What are you two doing out here? It was not a very wise idea to let Robin get up and move, Ivan, I am surprised at you."

The Air Energist made a little squeak at this, "I asked Robin to stay but he insisted on coming with me." he said quickly, "Besides, I was more worried about you. Why did you scream?" Okami blinked at Ivan, wondering what he could possibly tell his friend.

"Oh, that?" he asked, grinning nervously, "Well, I had a little trouble with a passing stranger, but he's gone now. I was looking for Lord Hammet when I got out here. He was heading north, I think it was toward Lunpa." Ivan let out a gasp.

"But why would Lord Hammet go there? Someone as rich as him should not even go anywhere near Lunpa!" said Ivan, nearly running around in distress, "Dodonpa would not pass up a chance like that…"

"There is nothing that we can do right now." said Okami, keeping a level head, "There are more important things going on around Weyard that demands our direct attention, besides, I doubt that Dodonpa is going to hurt Lord Hammet. Do you know how much money Lord Hammet has? Dodonpa may be corrupt but he is not a fool, he knows not to pass up a chance like this when someone as rich as Lord Hammet walks into his arms openly."

"I suppose you are right, but I do not know whether to be assured or even more worried about Dodonpa using Lord Hammet to obtain his money," said Ivan weakly. Okami shook his head.

"We cannot worry about that, the thing is that Dodonpa will not harm Lord Hammet as long as he gets what he wants. This gives us time to finish what we have to do and once we are done we can help Lord Hammet if need be." he replied calmly, "Right now we have to get the Shaman Rod from those thieves and then we can leave Vault and go to Mercury Lighthouse."

"What?" asked Robin, straightening up for a moment and then slumping back against Ivan. It seemed that his strength had yet to return, "What…about the Mercury Lighthouse?"

"Mercury Lighthouse is the closest elemental lighthouse to Vault and it would make the most sense since…" the cross-Energist paused for a moment, "since there is only one other lighthouse on this continent and that is in the far south. Venus Lighthouse takes nearly a month to reach a little less if you barely rest, but the monsters there are horrifyingly strong and it would be suicide to travel through there with little rest. There is a large desert, the Suhalla Desert that one must pass to get to the Venus Lighthouse, there are dangerous whirlwinds there that can take you to other islands…" Okami sighed, "That is besides the point, I want to make sure that whoever has taken the Elemental Stars does not even reach Mercury Lighthouse. Allowing them to get that far would be dangerous in itself." Okami turned to Ivan and smiled quickly, "Let's go find the Shaman Rod so we can get out of here and continue with that journey I promised you."

Ivan nodded and glanced up at Robin before turning to Okami again, "And what about Robin? He does not seem in the shape to help us look around town and I have a feeling that the people who have stolen the Shaman Rod will not give it up without a fight." he started in a solemn voice, "I do not wish to have Robin injured further because he was helping us."

"It is my decision," said Robin quickly, "This sounds really important to you and I cannot leave Vault until my friends arrive so I might as well help the two of you. I may not be a Legendary Warrior but I have trained my Psynergy for three years." Okami turned away, trying to hide his smile, "What?"

"Nothing, it is merely that I have been training with my Psynergy since before I was five…" he said, laughing softly, "But I have seen it in your eyes, there is an immense power deep within you and it seems that you have no problem using it as long as you concentrate on it, do you understand that power?" The Earth Energist blinked, closing his eyes for a second.

"Could it possibly be…?" Robin paused as his eyes locked with Okami's. The cross-Energist nodded, turning back to Vault.

"We should hurry and look for the Shaman Rod. Ivan, you and Robin take the west side of town and I shall take the east. If you two find anything, meet me back at the well around noon and I shall be there if I find anything out about the thieves." said Okami. Robin and Ivan nodded to him and the three Energists walked into town, only to part ways once they reached the alley.

-A couple of hours later: a few miles from Vault-

"Gerald, I have one question and one question alone for you and depending on how you answer it, you will either live or I shall make sure that you never have children." said Katana, carrying Amiko on her back. Gerald was walking in front of her, holding Mamoru in his arms, both of the young Earth Energists had fallen asleep a couple of hours after they had started to head travel toward Vault again.

The Fire Energist glanced back at Katana, afraid that she would already attack him, "Y-yes, Katana?" he asked, eye twitching in fright.

"Are we lost?"

"…Well…uh…um…" started Gerald, looking around the landscape wildly, trying to find something that looked even remotely familiar, "Well…"

"Yes, you said that already." snapped Kanata, tapping her foot on the soft ground, "Gerald, do you know where we are or not? I would like an answer today." The Fire Energist turned around to glance back at the cross-Energist, "Well, what are you waiting for, Gerald?"

"I…think we are lost."

"WHAT!?"

-Vault-

Okami lept down from a slender tree right in front of one of the men who had arrived in Vault just a couple of days before him, right when Ivan said that the Shaman Rod was taken. The cross-Energist moved toward the man, his cape flying back as a gust of wind blew across the plane.

The man was looking out at the town, safely hidden behind a group of bushes that grew on the very edge of the cliff. Okami folded his arms over his chest, eyes burning into the back of the man's head, _Mind Read_. The words passed through Okami with little effort, unlike some other Air Energists, he had very little trouble controlling his air based powers, even though those called for the most concentration since they centered around the power and strength of the brain unlike the other elements where they can use the things around them. Reading someone's mind was a little more complex. It was not as if you read ones mind like a book. No. More like their feelings at that point in time when you search them.

Those two brats that came around here earlier…it seems as if they knew that we were the ones who took those stuff. It looks like they are onto us. We had better leave town as soon as possible.

Okami narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat. The man jumped and turned around, "Who the hell are you?" The cross-Energist stood tall, summoning his staff and pointing it at the man's throat.

"Legendary Warrior of Water and Air, sole guardian of the Venus Lighthouse and it looks as if you have gotten yourself into a bit of trouble, hasn't it?" asked Okami, smirking slightly, "Gather your friends and meet me at your hideout at noon, if you want to live. If you do not show up at noon at the place I have given, I will hunt you down like the dogs you are and kill you with my bare hands, savvy?"

The man nodded and in a burst of brilliant blue light, Okami's staff disappeared. He turned away from the man and swept past the tree, walking along the plateau. It was not what he would have called a real fight, but when it was a battle with someone who could yell out in pain and cry for mercy, it was always better than a battle with monsters who could merely unleash guttural moans of pain.

When the young Legendary Warrior reached the well, Robin and Ivan were already there waiting for him. The Earth Energist was starting to look better, but would he be able to last in a battle? The thieves may not look like much, but looks can be deceiving and if they found using tricks…

"Robin, maybe Ivan was right, there is going to be a battle soon-" Ivan interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.

"We found out who took the Shaman Rod and the other items." he said, happily, "It was those three strange men that I was telling you about when you got here. Robin and I cornered two of them in the Inn and I _Mind Read_ one of them and we found out that they are hiding everything somewhere in the Inn."

"We looked everywhere we could," said Robin, leaning back against the edge of the well, "but the stuff is nowhere in sight. I really did not think that looking around in the lobby would be such a good idea with all those people around to watch us, so we have to look around when everyone has gone to bed."

"That will not be necessary," replied Okami, bowing his head, "I know where they are keeping the things that they have stolen, but the thing is… they know that I know. I told the leader, or so I think, that I will fight him in his hideout for the items. However, in your condition, Robin, I think that you fighting would just be a distraction for me and Ivan."

Ivan frowned, turning his head away from Okami. The cross-Energist caught this movement and let out a sigh, "You have to fight sometime, Ivan. Weyard is changing thanks to the eruption of Mt. Aleph, and if the lighthouse beacons are fired, do you really think that the yamis are going to sit around and allow everyone to live peacefully? No, they are going to want to destroy everything in sight until they destroy the whole of Weyard, until nothing is left of anything. Everything will be gone, everything that you seem around you will not even be a memory." Okami's eyes narrowed, "I am sorry to be telling you this, Ivan. I hate it as much as you do, maybe even more because I will be responsible for it, all of it if this happens. Because I know I have the ability to stop it. Are you with me or not, Ivan?"

The Air Energist closed his eyes, thoughts racing through his head faster than he could comprehend. He shook his head once, trying to clear his thoughts and looked up at Okami, "I am with you, Okami."

Okami walked over to Robin, lifting his hands to the Earth Energist, "You seem very determined about helping Ivan out with his quest to retrieve the Shaman Rod. I admire that quality in you, please do not lose it." The cross-Energist waved his hands in front of Robin and the Energist was surrounded by a golden glow. The glow soon died down, leaving Robin to blink the ghosts of faint lights out of his eyes.

"What was that?" he coughed, a little surprised by the sudden glowing lights. Okami smirked, lifting an eyebrow.

"I must say that I am a little surprised, if not disappointed that an Earth Energist would not even recognize a healing spell based on the earth element. I do not often use what little Earth powers that I have received from Venus Lighthouse, but I thought that it would be more befitting of an Earth Energist, don't you?" Robin nodded.

Ivan smiled, clapping his hands together to call attention to himself, "So, where is the hideout, Okami?"

"Follow me."

-Loft-

As the trio enter the hideout, they find a man sitting on the ground with his back to them. His arms are tied together around his back, along with his legs in front and his mouth is gagged, probably so he could not cry out for help. Robin rushes over to the man, pulling out his sword and cutting the ropes that bound the man. He removed the gag and helped him to his feet.

"What were you doing up here?" asked Robin, frowning.

"I came into this loft while I was fixing the roof…" started the man, "But I found I couldn't get all the way to the back of the loft…So I was looking into it when WHAM! Someone whacked me in the head from behind! When I came to, I was all tied up." He looked around the room as Okami stuck out his tongue and rolled his eyes behind the man's back, muttering something about crazy adults not getting enough oxygen, "Strange…I don't remember all these crates being up here before!"

"Maybe all that stolen stuff is in these crates…" mused Ivan, taking a step toward the crates. Okami held out his hand, his sword suddenly appearing in the hand that he held out to stop his friend, "Okami?"

"It seems that we have company, prepare yourself for battle, Ivan."

"It appears that we have been found out!" said a harsh voice as three men appeared through the doorway that they had come through mere moments before. Robin drew his sword once again and stood before Ivan, almost protectively.

"You're pretty persistent for one of Hammet's whelps, kid!" some one of the men, smirking evilly at Ivan.

"Why are you working so hard for Hammet?" asked another, "What's it to you?"

"Anyway, Hammet's already been caught by a worse bunch of thieves than us!"

"…I know, he went to Lunpa…" muttered Ivan.

"Dodonpa is a truly vicious man who has no morals. It seems that he is going to use Hammet for his little…money tree, so to say." said one of men that now stood in a prefect line in front of Robin, Ivan, and Okami. If Okami could just…

A leaf suddenly sprouted out of the side of the wall, making Okami gasp out from the intense concentration it took to summon that amount of his Earth Psynergy.

"See, we're not so bad." continued one of the thieves, unaware of what the cross-Energist was planning on doing, "How about it? Will you let us go?" Robin narrowed his light blue eyes.

"And allow you to continue to steal from other people?" he spat, "I think not. I shall not allow you to leave this town."

"What? You mean, even if we return everything that we stole and apologize, it is still a crime?"

"Do you just think that giving everything back is going to make it all better?" asked Ivan, "That still does not change the fact that you stole the things in the first place? If we do allow you to go free, what would be stopping you from doing this all over again? No, you cannot leave even if you return everything and apologize for the crimes that you have committed." Okami would have contributed something to this, but he was too busy placing his full attention on the task at hand, using a vast amount of the powers he had received during his trips to the Venus Lighthouse.

"You must be joking! We stole this stuff fair and square!"

"We'll just have to keep you quiet!"

"And there's only one way to do that! Get 'em!!!" The three men jumped out at the Energists, just as Robin lifted his sword to block their three attacks, sending them back across the room. Ivan lifted his hands, pinning them against the wall with his Psynergy.

With a quick smirk, Okami waved a slender finger, the side of the building breaking open to reveal a mass of vines winding around the three men, "That was easy." laughed Okami. Ivan fell back onto the ground, his breath a little ragged from the effort of controlling so much Psynergy. Robin knelt down next to him, placing his hand on the Air Energist's shoulder.

"Are you all right, Ivan?" Ivan's cheeks reddened and he nodded.

"After all the trouble we went to, stealing all this stuff…What the hell are you…?"  
"I told you," said Okami, walking over to the man and holding the end of his staff inches from his face, "I am a Legendary Warrior." The end of this staff connected with the man's skull, knocking him out, "Never make me repeat myself twice."

The man who Robin had untied slipped out of the room as Okami slammed his staff into one of the thieves skulls, saying that he was going to bring the mayor back to the loft.

Robin helped Ivan to his feet and the younger teen nodded to him, "If you'll give me Lord Hammet's rod, I shall be heading to Lunpa now." He gripped the Earth Energist's gloved hand before he let go, "What will you be doing, Robin?"

"I have to wait for my friends, but as soon as they arrive in Vault, I suppose that we will have to finish our journey…" Ivan glanced at Okami, who nodded his head. Ivan blinked and turned back to Robin, closing his eyes and whispering two simple words.

_Mind Read…_

"What are you going to be doing, Okami?" asked Robin, blushing slightly as the Air Energist in front of him read his mind. Okami shrugged his shoulders elegantly as his staff disappeared into the air.

"I am going to go after the Elemental Stars, it is my destiny, but before that, I have to make sure that Ivan remains safe, and after…" Okami smirked, "Ivan is going to accompany me in my quest to return the Elemental Stars to Sol Sanctum, which means…yours paths might cross again, won't it?"

Robin was about to ask Okami what was his real meaning behind that when violet eyes suddenly opened before him, freezing him in place, "I see…" whispered Ivan, "So that is what happened in Mt. Aleph…" Robin's eyes softened as he nodded.

"Yes…"

The man was back now and he had brought the mayor, another man, and the Healer of Vault with him, "These are the thieves, Mayor…" The mayor swept past the man and looked down at the thieves, a little shocked to see what bad condition one of them was in. He glanced back and smirked when he spotted Okami, smiling sweetly.

"I should have guessed when I saw this man's face…" he muttered before turning back to the two conscious thieves, "What you did was horrid. Stealing? In the middle of a disaster!?!"

"Hey, you're the ones who left all your doors open! You were practically begging us to-OUCH!" The man that had come in with them had kicked the thief in the side.

"Sorry…I couldn't help myself…" The Healer shook his head before turning to the mayor.

"What should we do with them?"

"We're going to lock them up for a long, long time."

"Hey, wake up! Let's go-get up! Get up!" yelled the one man, trying to get the thieves off the ground. Okami smiled again, taking a step forward.

"Allow me." He waved his hand and the vines lifted the three men off the ground, a greenish light glittering around the sparkling leaves.

"Hey, you!" one of the thieves called out before the men took them away, "Robin, right? I won't forget this!" Robin narrowed his eyes.

"I would advise you to forget about this if you want to keep your life." he said calmly, "Come after me and I promise that I will kill you without a second thought."

"Take them away!" yelled the mayor, turning to Robin after the three men were dragged out of the loft, "Thank you for catching the thieves! You have our sincerest gratitude."

"Really, you were a big help!"

"Let's take a look at what they stole." The mayor walked past the three Energists and over to the crates. Prying them open, he found an urn in the first one, the one that he had been looking for.

"Mayor, isn't that your family's urn?"

"My precious urn had been returned." he said softly before turning to the next crate and prying that one open, finding a golden statue in this one, "Hey, that belongs in the…They stole from our Sanctum? Those monsters! The town's treasures…They're back at last…"

"Mayor, we found another chest over here, you see?" The mayor walked over to the chest just as Ivan ran over to them, nearly tripping over his feet in his hurry to reach them. The mayor opened the last crate and pulled out a rod. Ivan let out a sigh of relief when he spotted the rod.

"Ivan, isn't this what you were looking for? Now, you can return to Lord Hammet!" the mayor paused, suddenly turning quite serious, "That's right! I heard that Lord Hammet was seen heading toward Lunpa!" Ivan took the Shaman Rod from the mayor and nodded simply.

"I know, Xenos came in and told us that Lord Hammet left already. Okami went out to stop him but he said that he saw him heading for Lunpa. Dodonpa has already kidnapped him, or so we have heard. Lady Layana must be worried sick by now if the news has reached her already."

"Eclipse has just informed me that a messenger left from Lunpa a little before noon, Lady Layana should hear something from one of Dodonpa's men in a weeks time, if not less." said Okami grimly.

"How can we rescue Lord Hammet?" asked Ivan, turning back to look at Okami. The cross-Energist shrugged. There was no point in telling Ivan that he did not want to save Lord Hammet yet, not at all for that matter. He knew that Lord Hammet hated Yoru, and Yoru was the nicest person in the world as long as you did not anger him. Besides, they still had the Elemental Stars to worry about.

"No one can enter Lunpa once the gates are closed." explained the mayor.

"What will happen to Lord Hammet?" he asked, his voice strained with worry.

"Calm down, Ivan." soothed the mayor, "Lord Hammet is probably still alive and unharmed. Dodonpa knows that he can use Hammet to extort a ransom from Karei Town. We can't do much until Dodonpa makes his move, but at least we know Hammet's safe…for now." Robin shook his head, turning to Ivan and patting his shoulder.

"Do not worry, people like Dodonpa would want to keep Lord Hammet alive as long as possible…" he said, hoping this would comfort the young Air Energist, it did seem to calm him down a little bit. The mayor turned to Robin after glancing between him and Ivan.

"Your name is Robin, correct?" Robin nodded.

"Thank you. You have my deepest gratitude. Oh, there are some people at my house who say that they know you. They are waiting in the family room with my wife." Robin blinked as the mayor walked out of the door.

"Took them long enough." he said finally, laughing. Ivan let out a sigh, leaning against his rod now. Robin frowned, "I wish there was something that I could do to cheer you up, Ivan…You look so depressed…"

"I just want to rescue Lord Hammet…that's all…" he whispered, "But I couldn't ask you to help me. You have to get the Elemental Stars, and your friends are waiting for you at the Mayor's house."

"You could ask me to help, you never know what I might say." said Robin, smiling.

"You have a very…important mission, right?" asked Ivan, blushing slightly, "I saw it in your mind. I had no idea that the volcano's eruption held such a secret!"

"Yes, Ivan, but you do understand that I am going to go after the Elemental Stars as well," said Okami softly, "I understand that you want to save Lord Hammet but the safety of everyone in Weyard depends on us retrieving the Elemental Stars before those people get to fire the elemental lighthouse. It is not that I doubt Robin's abilities, however, as a Legendary Warrior it is my sworn duty to protect the Elemental Stars and the elemental lighthouse." Okami paused, "What is the name of Venus…have I been repeating myself?"

Ivan smiled and laughed softly before turning back to Robin, "It seems that I have to go to Lunpa and at least try to rescue Lord Hammet from Dodonpa. I suppose this is good-bye then…"

"No, I said that I was going to help you. I may have helped you rescue that little rod of yours, but from where I stand, it looks like you still are in need of my services."

"No, you have already done so much for me. I couldn't impose on you any further." said Ivan quickly, glancing over at Okami who was taking a couple of steps to the door.

"You really would not be imposing…" said Robin. Ivan shook his head.

"I shall never forget this town's hospitality…I wish you the best, Robin." The Air Energist seemed hesitant to say his real good-byes to Robin.

"Be careful on your journey, Ivan. I hope our paths do cross again."

"As do I, Robin, as do I." Ivan turned to Okami, nodding. The cross-Energist shook his head.

"I have an idea. Since you have to go to Mercury Lighthouse, Robin, you would have to take Goma Cave. The path to Goma Cave is the same one that you take to get to Lunpa, why don't our groups team up this once so that we can all have a little more time together? It seems that you two just do not want to say good-bye, doesn't it?"

Robin and Ivan blushed, "N-now what is that supposed to mean, Okami?" asked Ivan, turning crimson, "I would have expected something like this from Hamako but not you." Okami grinned and walked out of the room, whistling to himself.

Ivan sighed and turned back to look at Robin, offering him a shy smile, "Well, I suppose Okami has decided it for us. Shall we go together then?" Robin smiled back at him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

-TBC-

A/N: Why? Because if I write any more, I will pass out while listening to my Coldplay CD and it deserves to be listened to! ^^0 Anyway…I was planning on writing more but that would have taken so long and I want this up before V-day and I only have an hour left until then, so this is good enough for right now. Besides, this is more than I had in the last story and we haven't even left Vault yet, aren't you just so proud of your little Paddy-chan?  
Chronos: I am! Hug! *walks towards Padfoot again*

*kicks Chronos out* Get out of my house now. *sighs* I'll get to writing the third chapter on Sunday or Monday, but my friend is having a b-day party…so I dunno. I want to go, but…busy, busy, busy. I hope everyone liked this, and I am sorry that it wasn't as longs as I had planned. Gomen ne. Next one will be longer. I promise by…Balmung of the Azure Sky, descendant of Fianna, Mr. stick up his arse!

Balmung: I hate you…

^^ Until next time, Alex is a whore!  
Alex: I hate you too…

To the ones we love, always be kind… 

_If I hurt you, I never meant those words I said…_

_I love you more than you can ever imagine_

_And all I want right now is to be in your arms_

_Protected by your golden light…_

_Forever in your arms…_

_Just like that first, sweet night…_

_~Padfoot-chan_


	3. Complex Emotions

Water and Wind

By: Padfoot-chan

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the GS characters. I only own Okami, Yoru, Ryou, Daisuke, and Mamoru. Aoshi belongs to Ivan and Kanata and Amiko belong to Hoshi (aka Felix-chan ^^).

Notes: Shonen-ai warning! Don't like, don't read. Flames shall be handed to Okami and he shall throw them in the fires of Hell where they belong.

Thanks for the reviews, Hoshi-chan, Ammy-san. I am so glad that you liked it. I was going to write more, but I was starting to fall asleep. Okay! On with the story! In addition, a little heads-up, Okami's dream sequence is weird…really weird, just warning you.

R/R please ^^

Padfoot-chan's comment for the chapter: I am such a cornball.

Chapter Three: Complex emotions

Robin and Ivan met up with Okami outside of the Inn. The sun had already gone down and the torches around the small village were being lit just as the three Energists headed toward the Mayor's house to meet up with Robin's friends, "Are you sure that you do not mind Okami and me tagging along with you?" Ivan was saying to Robin as they passed a large tree, "We would not want to be a burden to you, I am sure that you have a lot to do already."

Okami looked back at Ivan, shaking his head, "We have to go to the elemental lighthouses regardless, Ivan, it would be better to go in a large group. There is no telling what awaits us once we reach the Mercury Lighthouse." he said calmly. Robin nodded in agreement.

"Besides, I do not think that you would burden me at all." smiled Robin. Ivan turned away, trying to hide the blush that had crept onto his cheeks. It seemed that he was doing that a lot around the young Earth Energist.

"Robin, I want to thank you for everything that you have done for me." whispered Ivan, pausing and looking down at his shoes. Robin stopped and turned around to look back at him, slightly puzzled at his behavior, "I probably would not have been able to get Lord Hammet's Rod back if it have not been for you."

"I didn't do much," said Robin, "Okami did most of the work, and you fought as well."

"Yes…but still, it is only proper for me to truly thank you for what you have done for me. You did not have to help me, but you did and you even had something more important to do at the time…" Ivan shook his head and looked up at Robin, his violet eyes shinning in the firelight, "Robin, I…"

"Oof!" Robin and Ivan spun around to see that Okami had tripped over a small, white animal that resembled a cat at first glance. Upon closer inspection, this white little kitten had a fluffy rabbit-like tail where a cattail should have been instead. Okami sat up, slightly disgruntled. He turned around, lifted the animal by the back of its neck, and set it on a barrel to his side, "What an odd animal."

Robin and Ivan blinked before turning back to one another, "What were you going to say, Ivan?" asked the Earth Energist, giving Ivan a cheerful smile. Ivan blushed deep red and looked down at his feet again.

"N-nothing…as I was saying," he started, "I wanted to thank you…so…Thank you, Robin." Robin blinked as Ivan walked past him, dragging his feet along the ground and mumbling to himself. He could tell that there was something else that Ivan had wanted to say to him, but as to what that was he hadn't a clue.

Robin let out a soft sigh and hurried after Ivan.

Just as the Earth Energist opened the door to the Mayor's house, he was greeted by four voices at the same time. Mamoru and Amiko were cheering happily to see him, Kanata was complaining about Gerald and Gerald was yelling at him for leaving them behind, "We got lost thanks to you!" he yelled once the others were done. Robin stared at him, eyes wide with surprise, "Do you know how long it took us to find the path again after we wandered off into the forest?"

"I thought that you would have been able to handle walking a few miles by yourself." said Robin calmly, "Was I wrong to trust you with something as simple as that, Gerald?" The Fire Energist opened his mouth to say something but there did not seem to be anything he could say after that.

Ivan and Okami exchanged a quick glance at each other before turning to Robin's friends. Okami bowed to them first, "I am Okami, who are all of you, if you do not mind me asking." Kanata smiled.

"Not at all, I am Kanata, this is Mamoru and Amiko." she said pointing to the two Earth Energists who were now hugging Robin, "And the hothead's name is Gerald, if you don't watch him all the time, he might get himself into a lot of trouble so watch out for him."

Gerald harrumphed and turned away, "Is it bash Gerald day or something?"

Robin smiled at his friend's plight and shook his head, "Well, it does not seem that anyone is hurt, and for that, at the very least, we should be glad." he said, receiving a nod of agreement from Kanata, Mamoru, and Kanata. Gerald harrumphed again and offered a grumbled whatever to the young Earth Energist's comment. Robin turned to Ivan, smiling, "Ivan…I do not think that we will be able to leave now. It has gotten late and after that battle, I am sure that everyone is tiered. Plus with what Kanata and the others went though, I doubt that they are in the mood to set out and travel again."

Ivan turned to Okami, who nodded, before he turned back to Robin, "The Mayor has extra room…I am sure that if you were to ask him, he would be able to let you stay here. After all, you did help him out more than you could ever imagine, Robin. He is indebted to you."

"I do not want him to be indebted to me, Ivan," said Robin, laughing as Okami started talking with Kanata, "I did what I had to do. I could not just leave town after Okami saved my life and then you nursed me back to health." A pale reddish tinge colored Ivan's cheers and he turned to look over at the fire crackling in the fireplace. Robin leaned to the side, placing his hand on Ivan's shoulder, "Ivan? Is there something wrong? You have been acting odd around me lately."

The Air Energist shrugged his shoulders. He did not know what to say. If he said something now, it could come out all wrong. It would either make him sound rude or…or…something else. These thoughts did not seem to help him out in the least and he shook his head, trying to get control over his thoughts again.

"I suppose that I am just happy to have been able to get Lord Hammet's rod back for him, and then Okami and I are going to go to Lunpa to try to save him…" Ivan smiled weakly, "Yes, I do believe that is what is wrong with me. In addition, the fact that I am not much of a fighter and just got into a fight would probably add to what is making me act this way. Okami is the fighter. He always has been, really. I have never really been much for fights."

"You could have fooled me." smiled Robin, lifting his hand off Ivan's shoulder and ruffling his soft, dirty blond locks, "You fought very well, if you asked me. I understand that sometimes it would seem evil to fight, but if you have a very good reason it would not seem so bad, don't you agree?"

"How so?" asked Ivan, thoughtfully.

"Say a friend of yours was captured by an evil lord or thief from another land, wouldn't you go rushing off to save them regardless of the fact that you do not like to fight? If you have the abilities to save them and are the only one who is willing to fight to save them, wouldn't you?" asked Robin. Ivan cocked his head to the side, contemplating what the Earth Energist had just told him.

"I…suppose that would be the right thing to do and if no one were able to do it but you…" Ivan nodded, smiling now, "Yes, fighting does have its purposes in the end if you think about it hard enough."

Okami walked over to them, "Hey, I just spoke with the Mayor…he said that we can spend the night here because of what Robin did for him and his family." The cross-Energist smiled, "Imagine having five teenagers and four preteens in the same house. Ivan, since we haven't much room, this is how the sleeping arrangements are going to be, if there is no problem with you…"

"Who is sleeping with who…?" asked Ivan, glancing at Robin for a second. Okami smirked as he caught the innocent glance and decided to change the sleeping arrangements around a little.

"Well, considering that I have just found one of the other Legendary Warriors," started Okami, glancing over at Kanata with an evil smile. She turned away from Okami and looked from Robin and Ivan before returning Okami's grin, "I am going to be sharing my room with her so we can talk about the elemental lighthouses, the Elemental Stars, and all that sort of Legendary Warrior nonsense. Anyway, Mamoru will share a room with the Mayor's grandson and Amiko will share a room with his granddaughter, since they are the same age, I thought that that would be the best arrangement for them. Gerald will have to take a room to himself because there is only one left and as for Robin, he can sleep in your room, Ivan."

Ivan's violet eyes widened at the same time Robin's light blue ones nearly doubled in size. The two looked at each other before turning back to Okami, ready to complete to the cross-Energist. He shook a finger at them before they even had a chance to argue with his sleeping arrangements, "Come now, don't you trust me? It isn't like the two of your are planning to do anything tonight…are you? Because if you are, we could just switch it around."

"N-no, that's quite alright." muttered Ivan, his face reddening worse than ever, "The arrangements that you have made are just fine, Okami." Okami clapped his hands together.

"Good, then if everything is settled, I shall show Mamoru, Amiko, Kanata, and Gerald where they are to sleep, and you can take care of Robin, can't you, Ivan?" The Air Energist nodded and Okami led the others through the living room and up the stairs to the rooms, leaving Robin and Ivan alone next to the fireplace.

For a long moment, neither of the two spoke to each other, merely staring off at the fire or at something that they had suddenly found quite interesting. Robin finally cleared his throat once he decided that he could no longer take the nearly painful silence that had fallen between them. Ivan jumped slightly at the unanticipated sound from Robin and turned back to look at the older teen with a questioning look lightening his violet eyes, "Yes…?"

"Shouldn't we go now?" Robin had nearly said something else but had saved himself from that, knowing that his teenage mind would have taken that thought elsewhere and with an Air Energist around that could have easily read his every thought without hesitation, he did not want his mind doing or thinking about anything his mind had no right to think about.

Ivan nodded; unaware of the mental battle that Robin was going through with himself and led the Earth Energist through the house and up to his room.

-~-~-~-

The sky overhead had turned from a clear blue to a stormy gray in a matter of seconds. Strong gusts of wind blew branches of dead trees from side to side, creating eerie shadows on the dying grass and the pale dirt path that had faded away into near nothingness.

Atop a large hill was a gray, stone castle, surrounded by an ominous air that warned something bad would soon happen within its seemingly silent walls. One figure stood outside of the castle doors, arms at his sides, head bent slightly in a searching manor, wearing a long, black cape over a black tunic, dark gray, long-sleeved shirt, and dark gray pants. His dirty blond hair was blown to the side, giving off a perfect view of his deep blue eyes.

Okami looked up now, his eyes glancing from the windows on either side of the giant double doors to the knocker in the shape of an odd little creature with fangs and devil ears. He reached up with a shaking, gloved hand and grabbed the end of the knocker, banging it against the door three times before there was the sound of moaning from within the castle walls, sending a shiver down his spine.

The cross-Energist turned around, suddenly suspicious that there would be someone behind him, waiting for him to let his guard down for an ideal time to attack him. He fought against the urge to summon his sword and turned back around just at the double doors creaked open to reveal the dark insides of the castle.

Okami poked his head inside, eyes glowing in a faint firelight from somewhere inside the castle. He heard the moaning again, this time it sounded as if the person moaning was in some sort of pain. The sound had come from somewhere further within the castle, most likely somewhere within the upper chambers. So, Okami headed to the stone steps that were directly in front of him.

The steps led straight up through the floors, all the way up to the top floor where the sounds were drifting down to Okami. When he reached the fourth floor of the castle, a strange scent invaded his senses. The smell was foreign at first, but it seemed to bring back memories from Okami's past life. Memories that he had hoped to have been rid of for the rest of his life. However, the scent was too strong and he soon remembered the smell. The metallic smell of blood invading his senses, surrounding him and enveloping him until he started to see red and only red, a crimson glow that would not let up on him.

Okami stumbled about on the steps until he found the railing and leaned against it, grabbing the edges tightly in his gloved hands and taking deep, strangled breaths to try to get rid of the horrid smell of blood. He closed his eyes and shook his head, leaning back away from the railing and looking up through the levels of the castle, thoughts rushing around through his mind, making him more confused than he had been when he first entered the castle.

Questions beginning with why, how, what and where flew through his head faster than he had time to comprehend them, making him dizzy with the confounding thoughts. This was a reverie. That was the only explanation for the peculiarity of it all. Hadn't he been talking with Kanata one moment about the Elemental Stars and the elemental lighthouses and then laying him down to sleep the next moment before he found himself in this abnormal land, wearing a bizarre outfit as well.

Then again, knowing the unpredictability of his powers, he might have inadvertently cast a transformation spell to alter his clothes for one thing to another and then teleported himself to an odd continent somewhere far from his beloved Weiard. These thoughts did not seem to aid in his growing plight, they only abetted in making everything worse for him.

There was only one option open to him at this point in time, he may not have liked it very much, but there was nothing else for him to do but charge forward to see whether it was a dream or not. He could usually tell the difference between dreams and reality, but for some reason, this one just felt so real, from the smell of the blood, to the cool, rough feel of the stone railing against his gloved hands. He could even feel a slight breeze blowing up around him, lifting his dirty blond hair and the long, black cape that hung from his slender shoulders.

Okami shook his head and continued up the stairs, determined to find the underlying cause of this odd dream or whatever it was. He could now sense things around him, things that should not be there, then again, he should not be there either. There was a force pushing against him increasingly as he ascended the stone steps to the very top of the castle. The force was powerful and intimidating to even a Legendary Warrior as skilled as Okami. He was tempted to heed the warnings of this powerful force, but he could not just turn back now, where was he to go? He would have to play out this dream, if it was even a dream. Okami's eye twitched and he let out an exasperated thought. Maybe it would be better to just shut up before he drove himself insane.

When there were only two flights of stairs between him and the top floor, Okami suddenly became dizzy once more, but this time it was from an overwhelming force, probably the same force he had felt before. It was overpowering his own aura, driving it out, making it hide deep within Okami where it would not be a threat. The cross-Energist felt his breath leave him for a moment and he throught he was about to fall backwards when another force from behind him pushed against the first force, fighting to push it back. This gave Okami enough time to catch his breath and save himself from falling backwards down the stairs. He spun around to see who had helped him but there was no one standing in the darkness of the castle.

Okami's eyes narrowed as he rose a few more steps slowly before running up the last two flights, not wanting a repeat of what had just happened, there was no telling what would happen in the second round and he did not feel like finding out. He knew that rushing in would be just as stupid as standing around waiting for whatever it was to come to him or having his aura pushed back into him where he would have a hard time getting to it but he had no other choice.

The cross-Energist finally made it to the top floor, his breath was labored but there would be no problems not that he was on level ground. Or so he thought. There was only one way to go, he discovered as he turned to his left first to find a dead end and then to his right to find a short hallway and a door slightly ajar at the end of the hallway.

Breathing a sigh of relief for a moment, Okami turned to his right, making his way for the door when suddenly the ground beneath him began to shake and he was thrown into the wall to his side. He grabbed onto the side of the wall, as his knees buckled and gave out. The earthquake had stopped as soon as it had started and Okami was able to right himself soon after, but when he made for the door at the end of the hallway, he was forced to pause.

Two things had changed in the room now. One was a very big change, the hallway seemed to have expanded and now the door was even farther than before. The second change nearly caught Okami by surprise when he finally noticed it. A giant sphinx-like creature was kneeling in front of him, as if preparing to pounce on him at any moment. The sphinx was blocking his way to the door.

Okami smirked slightly, leaning against the wall and gazing up at the sphinx with his sweetest expression of innocence that he could muster. He had been told many times that he looked like an angel but his personality was far from that of an angels and his looks could easily deceive anyone. However, this sphinx did not seem fooled by his feigned innocence and crouched down further, "If you wish to pass," started the sphinx in a feminine voice, "you will have to answer my riddle."

The cross-Energist merely smiled to this and nodded, "Very well, I love riddles. How many are you going to ask me, Lady Sphinx? I suggest that you should ask a lot of riddles if you wish to beat me." The sphinx smiled in return.

"He does not want you to lose, Okami." This caught Okami off guard and he straightened against the wall, surveying the sphinx in an altered light now, "I shall only ask you one riddle, one that you will get on the first try. After this, there will be no one obstacles in your way, except the one that awaits you at the end of the hall…through the door. What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?"

Okami frowned at the simple riddle, "Man." he replied and as soon as he had done so, the sphinx bowed to him and disappeared in a burst of light, leaving the way to the door unblocked. Okami moved forward, glancing back at where the sphinx had stood only moments ago, "Okay, this has to be a dream. Reality is not this messed up."

It did not take him long before he finally reached the door. The odd sounds had begun to pick up again, this time with an edge of familiarity to them. He paused as he reached the door; hand out to push the door open all the way. There was the sound of movement drifting out through the crack in the door and whispers filtered out to Okami, his ears twitching every now and then. He was hesitant at what he would find now. Maybe if he just stayed put, he would wake up from this strange dream and could forget all about ever having it. He knew that it was not that easy and someone had given him this dream to prove a point, either that he was powerless to stop something or that he needed someone's help in stopping something.

Either way, there was no turning back now. Okami pushed the door open and blushed at the sight that met his eyes. Robin and Ivan were sitting down on a bed, arms wrapping around each other as they kissed each other passionately. He tried to avert his eyes but movement from Robin stopped him. The Earth Energist turned his head slightly and pulled away from Ivan. Okami was about to mutter an apology when Robin lifted his right hand away from Ivan and waved it to Okami.

_Ragnarok._

Okami's eyes widened as a giant, golden sword appeared above Robin, pointed directly at Okami. He stood frozen in place, shocked by this action from his newfound friend as he turned back to Ivan. He barely had time to throw up his arms in an attempt to protect himself from the powerful Psynergy attack.

-~-~-~-

Deep blue eyes flew open and Okami sat up with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. He pushed his wet bangs out of his eyes and looked around the small room. Kanata had taken his bed and he was sleeping on a futon on the wooden floor. Clouds moved outside of the window next to him and the room was bathed in a silvery light. Okami drew his knees to his chest and rested his head in his hand, messaging his temples.

'How odd,' he thought monotonously, thinking back to the dream he had just had. Okami blushed slightly when he remembered Robin and Ivan sitting on the bed in his dream. Why would someone want him to dream about that? Did someone want to not trust Robin and Ivan? Was he being warned that they might betray him? He did not know Robin too well, but he was well intentioned and he did not seem like the type of person who would easily betray someone. Okami had known Ivan for most of his life and they had been through a lot together, he knew that Ivan would rather die than even think of betraying him. So, what was the meaning of this dream?

Lingering on the dream did not seem to make things any clearer, if anything thinking about the dream was making things worse. His head was beginning to pound as unanswered questions ran around his mind, flirting with dangerous thoughts of betrayal and other misleading answers.

Okami pushed the covers away from him and grabbed his cloak from the back of a chair. He wrapped it around his body and headed toward the door, opening it as quietly as possible so he would not wake Kanata. Okami was making his way through the hallway, toward the stairs when he noticed a light on in Ivan's room and voices drifting out through the bottom of the door. There was the quick sound of laughter, a pause and then more laughter.

Frowning, Okami tiptoed over to the door and lifted his fist to knock. He paused for a moment, wondering if it was any of his business what the two teens were doing in the first place. He did not want to seem like a pest. It was hard for him to make friends, he did not want to lose the closet one he had, and Robin seemed like someone that he could trust with anything, he did not want to risk losing him as a friend as well.

He bit his bottom lip and turned away, hurrying past the door and slipping down the steps without making too much noise. He could hear snores from the rooms around him, soothing him into a state of comfort for a moment before he stepped out into the night air, closing the door soundly behind him.

The torches around the town had been doused hours ago, but the smell still seemed fresh in the crisp air. As a breeze blew past, picking up Okami's hair and cooling him off, he shivered slightly. It was nice out, though. He had to admit that. There was a full moon out, lighting the whole village with a serene light. For a moment, Okami wished that he could stay in Vault for a little longer. The thought seemed a little absurd when he thought about it. He had never been one to stay in one village for very long. Even when he was in Karei Town, he was always looking for excuses to leave and go on an adventure, usually taking Yoru along with him.

Okami sat down on the grass in front of the mayor's house and leaned back against the smooth wall. Even if he really did want to stay in one place for a long time now, he could not. He still had to make sure that the Elemental Stars were returned to Sol Sanctum, even though he felt that it would better if all of the Elemental Stars were returned to the Legendary Warriors were they would be better protected. It was not as if anyone had tried to steal the Stars when they were in the hands of the Legendary Warriors, even if someone did, they would never have managed to actually steal the Elemental Stars from them in the end.

When he stopped to think about it really, he did not know much of anything about the Elemental Stars nor the elemental lighthouses. He did not even know very much about cross-Energists when he thought about that as well. Why did only four Energists out of probably hundreds end up with two different elements instead of one like the others? Why did they have to protect the elemental lighthouses? They had to have been lit at one point in time and Weyard was still standing, nothing seemingly bad had happened to their beloved land.

Maybe that strange Water Energist from earlier was right about the elemental lighthouses. But what would he want with the elemental lighthouses? He did seem to know about the yamis and about the Legendary Warriors, so why would he want to fire the beacons if it was just going to release such dangers upon the world.

'I wonder what Yoru is doing right now…' thought Okami suddenly. He had not thought about the older teen in a while and now he was suddenly worried that something bad had happened to him. Okami did leave without saying anything to him and knowing Yoru, he probably had done something drastic, 'Please be safe…'

-The next day-

Robin was rose early the following morning, he was a little saddened that he would have to part ways with Ivan but the thought of meeting up with the young Air Energist made that emotion go away soon enough. Ivan was still sleeping in his bed, curled up in a little ball, hugging one of his pillows. Robin smiled to himself as he watched the younger teen sleeping, his chest rising and lowering slowly as he breathed. He knew that he really should not be staring, but he could not help himself.

Ivan was like no one he had ever met before. Robin found him very amusing; from his personality to the way he carried himself and how he used his powers over Air. He did not know why, but he was merely captivated by everything that the young Air Energist did. Robin turned away, knowing that if he were to watch Ivan any longer, he might end up doing something that he would regret for the rest of his life, no matter how much he wanted to. Ivan was just so adorable when he was sleeping, though…

Robin shook his head and climbed off his bed, grabbing his shirt from the corner of a chair and pulling it over his head. He walked over to the door and was about to slip out of the room when a movement on Ivan's bed caught his attention and the youth muttered something under his breath. The Earth Energist turned around slowly and crossed the distance from the door to Ivan's bed in a few swift strides. He leaned over Ivan and whispered, "What is it, Ivan?"

"Robin…" muttered Ivan, hugging his pillow tighter, squeezing his eyes shut, "don't…" Ivan relaxed now, returning to his normal state making Robin sigh. He straightened up and looked down at Ivan, wondering what he was trying to say in his sleep.

He shrugged it off and exited the room, hoping that Ivan would be able to get some sleep. Robin was about to head down the stairs when he heard the front door open and a couple of moments later; Okami ascended the stairs, his hair disheveled and a slightly confused look on his face when he noticed Robin.

The Earth Energist smiled down at Okami quickly, "Sorry, I don't feel like going back to sleep." he said, "And I didn't want to wake Ivan up by staying there and watching him sleep would not be very fun." Okami smiled, nodding to Robin.

"I think that Hitomi is up already, I heard someone cooking in the kitchen when I came in and I think that she may be cooking breakfast for everyone." explained Okami, turning back around and walking down the steps. Robin breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, watching Ivan sleep had not been so bad; it was what he might have done if he kept watching him sleep that was starting to scare him. Robin descended the steps after Okami and tried to listen to him while he thought about the new emotions he was beginning to feel for Ivan.

He never had been a very passionate person; he was far too busy worrying about taking care of both his mother and Mamoru that he had never had time to date anyone, not that he had ever been interested in anyone. Felix had teased him about it when they were younger, saying that Robin would die an old, miserable hermit while Felix would have hundreds of grandchildren to tell stories too. That was before his father had died, even then he had not been interested in anyone, he did have time for people but no one ever caught his eye.

Robin had been told that he was very good-looking by many people when he was growing up and many girls had made advances on him, only to be turned away in the end. He definitely did not have time for anyone now, but Ivan…he could make an excuse for Ivan. He wanted to be around Ivan, it was as if he felt whole around the young Air Energist, finally complete, an emotion that he had not felt in his entire life. There always seemed to be something missing in his life, no matter how hard he tried to find out what that something was. It always seemed to elude him.

It had been so easy to find Ivan, though and now that he felt whole, he did not want to lose that feeling. He could not live like that, not now that he finally found the person who made he feel like he mattered, like there was something left to live for, someone to live for.

Robin blushed as these thoughts crossed his mind. He had never been an emotional person and suddenly thoughts of being needed by someone, living for just one person were starting to fill his head. It was not so bad; he had always wanted something to live for, which is why he had jumped at the chance of going out on a journey to get back the Elemental Stars. He would be doing something important, people were depending on him getting the Stars back to Sol Sanctum safely and he liked that thought.

Robin and Okami finally reached the kitchen where Hitomi, the mayor's wife, was standing in front of the stove, cooking breakfast for everyone. She smiled and greeted the two Energists. Okami gave her a cheery greeting in return and Robin offered her a halfhearted smile. He was too lost in his thoughts to do much of anything now.

Okami noticed this and frowned, "Robin, is there something troubling you? You have not been very enthusiastic since I saw you last." he smirked, "Is it something with Ivan." They heard a small giggle from Hitomi but she made no further comment on what Okami had just said.

Robin blushed and shook his head, but it was no use lying to Okami, he was Ivan's friend and half Air Energist. If Okami really wanted to know, he could just read Robin's mind, "Sort of…" started Robin, sitting down at the table across from Okami, "I was just thinking about something but I am not sure what to make of it myself."

"I understand." said Okami softly, "I will not press any further. Your thoughts are you own from now on. However, I suggest that you tell Ivan once you understand your feelings, he deserves to know, and who knows, it could turn out for the best in the end instead of just killing yourself over it in the long run. I have a feeling that you and Ivan are going to become very close in the near future. Just make sure that you take good care of him or you will have to deal with me."

Robin smiled in spite of himself, "Well, with a threat like that, I can assure you that Ivan is in very good hands." Okami looked up from the table and waved to someone standing in the doorway behind Robin. Turning around he spotted Ivan standing there, still looking a little tiered with his hair almost as messy as Okami's.

He waved back to Okami as he walked over to the table and took the empty seat next to a blushing Robin, "What are you two doing up so early? I am still tiered and sore from that battle that we had yesterday. How can you stand it?"

"Practice." said Okami thoughtfully, "Don't worry, there are going to be a lot of battles on the way to the Mercury Lighthouse and that is where the people who stole the Elemental Stars are headed for sure. Plus, we are probably going to have to fight them for the Stars as well." Ivan groaned, folded his arms across the table in front of him and rested his chin on his arms.

"I am not sure how I should look at that statement, Okami." he said softly, "You know that I do not like fighting."

"Sometimes that is the only way out of things, Ivan," replied Robin, hopefully, "Not everything can be settled through talking, just as not everything can be settled through fighting. It all depends on the situation." Ivan nodded, glancing at Robin before burying his face in his arms. Okami nodded at Robin before standing up.

"I am going to wake the others up." he said before walking out of the kitchen. Robin flushed, wondering why Okami had just left the kitchen. Hitomi turned around from the stove and caught Okami's hint.

"Robin, would you be a dear and watch the breakfast for me? I want to make sure that there is warm water for everyones shower." Without waiting for an answer from Robin, Hitomi rushed out of the kitchen and up the stairs after Okami. Robin stared after the woman, a loss for words. He glanced back at Ivan just as he lifted his head and looked around the room, slightly confused.

"Where did everyone go?"

"Uh…um…well, Hitomi just went off to make sure that we all had warm water for our shower," Robin blushed when he said this but quickly shook it off, "And Okami left before her to make sure that everyone was awake." Ivan nodded and stood up walking over to the stove to check on the food. They sat in uncomfortable silence, both think about the same thing. Each other.

'What a weird dream,' thought Ivan as he flipped over the pancakes to make sure that they would not burn, 'why would I have a dream about someone that I just met? And why Robin of all people…?' The Air Energist blushed as he turned around to look at the back of Robin's head, 'But there is something different about him, something that draws me to him. What is it that makes him different from everyone else that I have met? Maybe I should talk to Okami about this. He would not laugh at me and it might help to talk it over with someone…'

Robin stared down at his hands, not really seeing him as he thought about Ivan, 'Could it be that I am falling in love with…Ivan?' The thought crossed his mind so quickly that he decided that that could not possibly be the reason he was thinking about the young Air Energist or why he was feeling strangely around him. However, he kept coming back to that idea and each time, it seemed increasingly possible that that was the reason, 'How could I be falling for someone who I just met? I do not even know him…and he is a he! What would my mother think? What would this do to Mamoru if he found out about this? And what about Ivan? I seriously do not think that he is into guys.'

Robin groaned and planted his face on the table with a rather loud bang, startling Ivan. Ivan turned around and looked at Robin, eyes full of concern before he walked over to the Earth Energist and tapped his shoulder. Images of Robin's memory quickly flashed through Ivan's mind before Robin lifted his head from the table and looked up at the Air Energist, "Is there something wrong, Robin?" asked Ivan, breathlessly. There was something different about Robin now, a new emotion is his pale blue eyes as he looked up at Ivan.

The Earth Energist smiled weakly, taking Ivan's hand in his own, "Yeah, but I don't think that anyone can help me with these sort of problems." Ivan blushed as he glanced from their entwined hands to Robin, "Thanks for your concern, though, it means a lot to me."

Ivan nodded slowly, "What are friends for…are you sure that I cannot help you with whatever is troubling you? I really do not like to see you worried like this. It is not healthy for one to worry." Robin turned away, finally letting go of Ivan's hand. The Air Energist sat back down in the seat next to Robin and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

Robin opened his mouth to say something as he turned to Ivan but paused, "Well," he started in a whisper, leaning forward as well until his and Ivan's face were mere inches apart, neither wanting to draw away, "now that you mention it…maybe there is something that you can do that will help me…"

Ivan blushed even more as Robin leaned in closer, "Is that so…" he whispered back, closing his eyes and moving forward as well. Just as their lips were about to meet in a sweet, chaste kiss, footsteps were heard coming from the stairs and voices drifted through the house, reaching the kitchen.

Robin and Ivan pulled away quickly and both turned to the doorway, blushing crimson. Kanata walked into the kitchen followed shortly by Gerald, Mamoru, and Amiko, the four of them talking to each other happily. Ivan stood up and walked over to the stove again before Robin even had a chance to stop them. The Earth Energist glared at his friends, mentally cursing them for their horrible timing. He was just about to kiss Ivan and the Air Energist was actually going to let him! Why did his friends have to have such bad timing?

Kanata caught the look and withered under the scathing look. Robin could be scaring when he was angry, even when you were not the target of his anger, it was still scary, but being on the receiving end of his wrath was far worse. She tried to avoid the look of hatred on her friend's face but there was no escaping it. She sat down in the seat at one of the table and shrugged at Robin, "What?" she asked, "What did I do?"

Robin groaned, muttered a quick nothing and got up from the table, walking over to the stove, partly to see if Ivan wanted any help and partly to see if there was any chance of saving his sanity before he completely lost it. "Ivan," he started in a low whisper so that the others who not be able to hear their conversation. Ivan turned to him, smiling quickly, "Well…"

"It's okay, Robin, I understand. We can talk about it later."

"But…we have to be heading out soon." pressed Robin as Ivan handed him the spatula so that he could flip the pancakes now, "We might not have to time to talk about it. The others are not exactly going to leave us alone while we are on the road." Ivan shrugged his shoulders elegantly, making Robin smile.

"I know, but it is a good two days walk before we reach the pass the road that leads to Lunpa and you are going to have to come with us so you can reach the road that will take you to Goma Cave." explained Ivan calmly as if he were talking about the weather or some other daily subject. "The others are going to want to came out, I am sure, and then you could send them off to get firewood or something else. Okami will go with them to make sure that they do not get lost and I am sure by that time, Mamoru and Amiko are going to be too tiered to stay up. We will be able talk about whatever you want then."

Robin blinked at Ivan before laughing, "You thought about this before, haven't you?" Ivan shook his head.

"Okami just taught me how to think on my feet, imagine if you did not know what to do in a battle with a strong adversary." smiled Ivan; "It is just always a wise idea to be prepared for anything."

"Even something like this?" teased Robin, poking Ivan in the side with the end of the spatula. Ivan made a little squeaking noise, "Aw, that's so cute." Ivan blushed.

Gerald glanced at Robin and Ivan before turning to Kanata and whispering to her, "Have you noticed anything strange going on with Robin and that Ivan-kid?" Kanata looked over at the two and shrugged her shoulders turning back to watch Mamoru and Amiko climb into the chairs at the table.

"You are probably just imagining things like usual, Gerald." she said smiling, "But Ivan is very polite, don't you think? So is Okami, I am a little surprised to have met another cross-Energist." Gerald harrumphed and turned away from his friend. She smiled at him, knowingly, "Are we jealous, Gerald?"

"Of Robin? I think not."

"Well," started Kanata softly, hoping that Robin would not hear her, "you know that there is a lot to be jealous of. Robin does not get lost when he goes out, he was chosen to be the leader, a lot of people depend on him, and he is very good looking…" Gerald's jaw dropped.

"Not you to!" Okami and Hitomi chose that moment to walk back into the kitchen.

"What is going on?" asked Okami, sitting down in his chair again. His hair was combed now, tied back in a short ponytail in hopes that he could actually tame his unruly locks for once, "I thought that everyone would have wanted to take a shower first."

"Yes, but Amiko and Mamoru were hungry and there is really no disagreeing with Earth Energists when they want something." said Kanata, smiling. Robin coughed at this statement and shot Kanata an odd look. She shrugged it off as more of his odd behavior and turned to Hitomi, "Is there anything that I can help out with?"

"I would not want my guests to do any work," she said before looking at Okami, "You on the other hand, mister, I want you to set the table."

"Ah, come on, Hitomi, I'm a guest too." laughed Okami, getting back to his feet and walking over to the cabinet. Hitomi hit him lightly on the back on the head, messing up his hair.

"Yes, but I have a feeling that you are going to come back here more than Robin and his friends." Hitomi turned to Ivan and walked over to him, pulling the young Air Energist into a tight hug, "But I am going to miss having all of your around with me."

"Yes, but you still have Xenos and Andromeda to keep you company." said Ivan as Hitomi released her hold on Ivan.

"Ah, but they are going to have to go back to their parents in a couple of weeks. They are finally finished with their travels and are coming back for their son and daughter," explained Hitomi with a sigh, "I am going to miss them as well."

Okami frowned, "Would it be very wise to do that with Xenos? Your son and daughter live all the way in Raripero Town, near the Venus Lighthouse, a lot could happen from Vault to Raripero. It takes one month to get there by carriage, two if you are walking." Hitomi sighed.

"Yes, but there is nothing we can do."

"Tell me when your son and daughter come to pick Xenos and Andromeda up, if I am finished with the Elemental Stars by then, maybe I could escort them back to Raripero Town. I have business in the Venus Lighthouse anyway, so I will be headed out that way as soon as I can." said Okami, "I have a feeling that Xenos is going to very important in the future, once he looks a little more control over his powers."

"Xenos having control over his powers is a scary thought," commented Hitomi. Okami smiled, shaking his head as he placed the dishes on the table.

"Maybe so, but it is better than him not having any control over his powers."

-~-~-~-

After everyone was fed and washed, they were ready to leave Vault behind and continue with their journey. After saying their goodbyes, the two groups set out on the same path leading out of the small village. Okami and Kanata had gotten ahead of the group, talking about anything that seemed to come up, while Gerald, Mamoru, and Amiko were following closely behind them. Robin and Ivan had fallen behind on purpose, so that they could talk without the others hearing their conversation, even though they were not talking about anything important.

"So your father died three years ago?" asked Ivan, solemnly, "I am so sorry…" Robin shook his head.

"Don't be sorry, I'm not," admitted Robin. Now that he stopped to think about it, he was not sorry about what had happened. If Kyle had never died, then he would never had become interested in Alchemy, would never have gone to Sol Sanctum and the Elemental Stars would not have been stolen, but he probably would not have met Ivan. It was worth it in the end, just to have met the Air Energist, "The way I look at it is if my father had never died, then I would never have become the person that I am today."

"I suppose that that is a better way of looking at it," muttered Ivan, smiling, "Robin, do you think that you will be able to get the Elemental Stars back before those people who stole them are able to fire the beacons?"

"I don't know. I sure hope so." sighed Robin, "If you are able to save Lord Hammet, are you going to be able to join us?" Ivan blushed and nodded.

"I was originally supposed to leave with Okami, but then Lord Hammet told me on that caravan and it pretty much messed up Okami's plans." explained Ivan, "But as soon as we are able to get Dodonpa to release Lord Hammet, we will head over to the Mercury Lighthouse." Robin smiled.

"Then I hope that you and Okami are able to save Lord Hammet soon." Robin leaned over Ivan and whispered into his ear, "I don't think that I am going to be able to stand not being around you for long." Ivan made a small squeaking noise and looked down at his boots so Robin would not see him blushing.

-~-~-~-

Night had begun to fall when the group finally decided to make camp. Kanata went off to get firewood, while Gerald and Okami volunteered to walk around the area to make sure that there were no monsters around that would attack them in their sleep. Mamoru and Amiko were still up; both of them hanging around Robin so he and Ivan did not have a chance to talk to each other about more…personal matters.

Ivan was sitting on the ground, leaning back against a tree trunk as Robin knelt in front of him watching Mamoru and Amiko as they told Robin about what had happened with Gerald. "And then Gerald turned off the path and into the forest even though Kanata told him not to so she had to go in after him and took us with her so nothing would happen to us while she went off to make sure Gerald did not get lost." explained Mamoru.

Robin shook his head, sighing, "I told Gerald to not go off the trail," he muttered, "But I am glad that none of you were hurt. It would have been my fault for wanting to split up back there. I should not have done that. It was poor judgment on my part."

"It is still Gerald fault," Ivan spoke up, "You warned him not to leave the trail, and going against your orders, he did just that. He should have known better than to do something like that." Robin nodded, sitting on the ground now.

"I suppose but I still should not have left them alone like that."

Kanata came back a few minutes later, followed shortly by Okami and Gerald. Okami looked a little distressed for some reason, "What is it, Okami?" asked Ivan.

"I can sense something headed our way." he said quickly, "Something very powerful, something not normal. I do not have any idea what it could be, though. I am a little worried that I might not be able to do anything to stop it, though."

"What could it be?" asked Kanata dropped the firewood she had gathered on the ground. Gerald lifted his hand and a fire shot up out of the wood, lighting the area in a warm glow. Okami shook his head.

"I have no idea…but we should be ready for anything." As soon as Okami had finished saying this, something shook the earth beneath him, sending the young cross-Energist flying backward into a bush.

"Okami!" The sky overhead darkened and loud thunderclaps sounded from nearby, soon followed by bright flashes of light. Okami reappeared, twigs sticking out from his dirty blond hair.

"It's here," he gasped, running back over to his companions. Gerald was about to take out his sword when Okami yelled, "Don't take out your sword! This is an unnatural storm. Whoever is behind us is going to attack with this storm and if you have your sword out, you could get yourself killed."

Kanata knelt down on the ground next to Mamoru and Amiko, throwing her arms around them protectively. Robin grabbed Ivan's hand and pulled him close, not worried about what the others would say now. Okami lifted his hands into the air and a barrier appeared, "This is not going to last for long," he said weakly, "but this is all that I can do for now."

There were a few more thunderclaps and more bolts of lightning but nothing threatening, not until…

A bolt of lightning suddenly hit Okami's barrier, destroying it on impact and throwing everyone who was standing onto the ground. Gerald was slammed against a tree, nearly knocking him unconscious. The Fire Energist felt the back of his head and discovered a long trail of blood sliding down from where he was hit. Okami managed to avoid hitting any more trees or bushes but the front of his shirt was torn from sliding against the ground.

"There has to be something that we can do," whispered Ivan, his voice muffled against Robin's shirt.

"How can we fight against nature?" asked Robin, looking down at the Air Energist for a moment.

"We control nature all the time, Robin, there has to be something we can do to stop this storm." said Ivan, "We won't know until we try something." The Earth Energist turned away for a moment, wondering if it was truly worth the risk. His grip on Ivan loosened and Ivan rose to his feet, lifting his hands into the air.

"Ivan, what are you doing!?" Okami tried to yell over the wind, but it did not see that his friend had heard him. For a moment, whatever Ivan was doing seemed to be working, the storm was being pushed back. However, Ivan was not strong enough to push back the storms completely. Just as it looked that Ivan had overcome the storm, a bolt of blue lighting struck the Air Energist. He cried out in pain, his hands going to his heart and felt to the ground. Robin rushed forward to catch him.

"Ivan!" Ivan winched visibly as the wind picked up around them more, slowly turning into a whirlwind. Okami got to his feet and began to run over to Robin and Ivan.

"You have to heal him!" gasped Okami as he dodged a rather large tree branch that had been torn off its tree. Robin looked back at Okami frantically.

"But I can't heal yet! I don't know how!" Okami started to yell something else but his voice was lost in the wind. A second later, a tree branch connected with the back of Robin's head and the world went black.

-~-~-~-

It seemed like hours later before Robin woke up again. His head was pounding and he was having trouble getting his eyes to focus. There was an unnatural weight in his lap and when he looked down, he spotted Ivan lying there, paler than normal. The Earth Energist sat up and tried to wake Ivan up by shaking him gently. It was no use, he was out cold.

Checking his wrist for a pulse, Robin was relieved to find that he still had one, but Ivan's breathing was shallow and his pulse was slower than usual, "Ivan," he said in a pained voice, alien to his own ears. Tears welled up in his eyes and he fought against them, "Ivan, please wake up…don't leave me…"

Robin silently cursed himself for not being able to use healing skills, something that was basic for every Earth Energist. He wished he had taken the Great Healer up on his offer of teaching him how to heal when he had the chance. Now, Ivan was dying in his arms and there was nothing he could do about it. Thinking like that only made the tears harder to control, but he did not care anymore.

He hugged Ivan close to him, crying into the Air Energist's tunic, "Ivan…please…"

"Un…R-Robin…" Ivan moved around in Robin's arms, and Robin let go.

"Ivan! You-you're all right!" Robin paused for a moment, "You are…all right, aren't you?" Ivan was about to say something when he slumped against Robin's chest, holding onto the older teens shoulders for support.

"I don't know…" he said hoarsely, "Wha…what happened after I tried to stop that storm?" Robin shook his head.

"You were hit by lightning and then Okami started to say something but I passed out after being hit in the back of my head." Robin looked around the area. He did not know where they were, he could see an unfamiliar mountain range off in the distance, a large forest off to his right and what looked to be a small mound to the north. There was no sign of Okami or the others, "I don't know where we are, Ivan…"

Ivan buried his head in Robin's chest, holding onto his tighter, "We have to find a village then." he whispered.

"I don't want to risk moving you." said Robin, shaking his head again.

"If we get to a village," started Ivan, "then we can get to the healer there and he can heal me."

"I don't want to risk it." said Robin again, "We don't even know where the nearest village is. It could be days away, what if you-" Ivan pulled away from Robin and looked up at him with blurry, violet eyes.

"You can't heal, right?" asked Ivan, "Then we have to get the nearest village. You are hurt as well." The Air Energist lifted his right hand away from Robin's shoulder, brushes it against the back of Robin's head and showed him the blood. Robin was wondering why he felt so lightheaded. Ivan reached for the yellow scarf around Robin's neck and undid the knot. He tied the scarf around Robin's head, hoping that it would be able to stop the bleeding, "Come on, Robin…"

Robin bit his lower lip but slipped one of his arms under Ivan's legs and slipped his other arms around Ivan's back before getting to his feet, "Which way should we go?" he asked, trying to sound brave for Ivan's sake. Ivan closed his eyes and looked around the open field.

"We are near Bilibin," he said, turning back to look at Robin, "It is only a half a days walk from here if we hurry." He pointed over to the structure that Robin had thought was a small mound, "That is Bilibin. Okami and the others will most likely head there if they were taken there."

Robin looked at Ivan, eyes full of concern, "Are you sure about this, Ivan?" The Air Energist nodded and Robin began walking, awkwardly at first, not used to carrying someone.

-~-~-~-

Robin and Ivan reached Bilibin before night had fallen, but when they entered the small village, it was oddly quiet. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Robin hurried to the Sanctum and set Ivan down on the ground, trying to open the doors of the Sanctum only to find them locked, "Oh, Venus, no…" he whispered, before banging his fists against the wooden doors, "Is someone in there!?" he yelled, kicking at the doors ever so often, "Please! I need your help!" Nothing, "Dammit!" cursed Robin, sliding to the ground and punching the door one last time.

"I am so sorry, Ivan." cried Robin, tears staining his cheeks. He unsheathed his sword for a moment, ready to break into the Sanctum.

"Robin, don't!" gasped Ivan, reaching out for the Earth Energist. Robin dropped his sword on the ground and knelt next to Ivan, holding onto Ivan, "It is going to be okay, Robin…I can make last until tomorrow morning." whispered Ivan, rubbing circles into Robin's back.

"The healer should be here." muttered Robin, resting his forehead against Ivan's shoulder, "What are we going to do until morning? We can't just wait outside all night." Ivan looked around until he found the Inn.

"We can stay at the Inn until tomorrow." Robin nodded, hiccoughing as he drew away from the Air Energist. He sheathed his sword and lifted Ivan off the ground again, making his way to the Inn.

After getting a room, Robin laid Ivan on the bed and tucked the Air Energist in, hoping that he would not be uncomfortable, "Are you sure that you can wait until tomorrow? I am sure that I could get the healer out of bed with a little force." Ivan laughed at this.

"And have everyone in Bilibin calling you a troublemaker?" he asked, taking Robin's hand, "I will be just fine for now, Robin, there is nothing to worry about." Ivan flinched, tightening his grip on Robins' hand until the pressure was almost painful. Robin did not pull away, though, he gave Ivan's hand a gentle squeeze and scooted closer to him.

"Ivan, I…" started Robin, turning away for a moment before turning back, "Ivan, I like you. I really like you." he whispered, leaning close to the Air Energist so he was now lying on the bed next to him. Ivan turned his head and looked up into Robin's eyes, slightly shocked.

"Are you just saying that…because I am dying here…?" asked Ivan, closing his eyes against the pain. Robin shook his head and leaned in closer, brushing his lips against Ivan's. Ivan smiled weakly, "That was nice…"

"I wish that there was something I could do for you…" whispered Robin, "I feel so helpless right now. I wish I could heal…"

Robin squeezed Ivan's hand again when a voice spoke to him in his head. For a second he thought he had finally gone insane, when he suddenly recognized the voice as Okami's.

_'Robin.'_

_'Okami…?'_

_'Yes, it's me. Is Ivan with you? His aura is fading and I cannot sense yours for some reason. Where are you?'_

_'I am with Ivan…in Bilibin…why?'_

_'I am with the others, two days walk away from Bilibin. We are on our way to Imil as I speak.' _there was a slight pause as Okami thought for a moment, _'How is Ivan?'_

_'Ivan…he's dying, Okami, and the healer is not in the Sanctum. He said that he can hold on until tomorrow morning, but I have my doubts. What should I do?'_

_'The healer cannot heal him. You are the only one who can heal him, Robin. Herbs cannot help him now. He was hurt by an Energist and only an Energist can heal him. I cannot teleport on what little Psynergy I have left from summoning a barrier that would protect against that storm, so it is up to you.'_

_'But I can't heal, Okami-'_

_'Yes, you can. Remember when I healed you back in Vault? I healed you with Earth Psynergy but at the same time, I taught you how to use Cure. So you can heal Ivan…if it is not too late.'_

_'What do I do?'_

_'Just concentrate on something warm, something good and pure and you will be able to heal Ivan. I have to go. Please just heal Ivan and rest up. When you are fully rested, join us in Imil.'_

Robin sat up on the bed and looked down at Ivan, wondering if he could really do it. He lifted his hands and placed them an inch away from Ivan's chest. The Air Energist had fallen asleep while he was talking to Okami, his chest rising and fallen slowly, 'Ivan…'

_Cure._

'Please…I cannot lose you now…'

-TBC-

Not what I had planned…but oh well, I may end up changing it later on but this sounds pretty good to me. I think that I went a little fast…if I did, please tell me. R/R please!

Robin: *crying* Ivan!  
…You okay?


	4. Love Found

Water and Wind

By: Padfoot-chan

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the GS characters. I only own Okami, Yoru, Ryou, Daisuke, and Mamoru. Aoshi belongs to Ivan and Kanata and Amiko belong to Hoshi (aka Felix-chan ^^).

Notes: Shonen-ai warning! Don't like, don't read. Flames shall be handed to Okami and he shall throw them in the fires of Hell where they belong.

Thanks for the review, much appreciated. I am still thinking about that whole magic school…but I am not sure how I would have it exactly. Picard would be a teacher of course…*thinking* Too much work! I'll wait until I finish some of my other GS stories before I start of that.

Read and Review please!

Also, I thought about doing something for my reviewers birthday-if I can get away from my stories long enough to do it that is. Whenever your birthday is coming up, give me a heads-up (two or so months just in case I'm really busy-I've got exams coming up soon too) and tell me what kind of story you want me to write for you. It will be a one-shot unless I really get into it-another reason for the two or so month heads-up. Preferably Golden Sun-romance if you want. If you like the idea, and want a gift from me, either put it in your review or e-mail me and I'll get to work on it ^^

Chapter Four: Love found and Revelation

Robin sat up on the bed and looked down at Ivan, wondering if he could really do it. He lifted his hands and placed them an inch away from Ivan's chest. The Air Energist had fallen asleep while he was talking to Okami, his chest rising and fallen slowly, 'Ivan…'

_Cure._

'Please…I cannot lose you now…' A golden glow emitted from Robin's hands, bathing Ivan's chest in a warm light. At first, Robin's Psynergy seemed to have no effect but then he felt a strong tug on his mind. He began to feel lightheaded and his body weakened for a moment. Robin knelt down on his knees to make sure that he would not fall down and pushed more of his Psynergy into trying to heal Ivan.

Right as Robin's Psynergy was about to give out on him, Ivan's eyes fluttered open and he pressed a shaky hand to his forehead. Robin stopped healing and threw his arms around Ivan's neck, surprising the younger teen, "Ivan, I thought you were…" he could not bring himself to say those words that he had been dreading even now. The Air Energist smiled weakly, returning Robin's hug almost awkwardly. He was not used to physical display of emotions, mainly because of his powers, so this was very new to him.

"Robin," started Ivan, hesitantly making Robin pull away from him, worried again, "I like you a lot, too." Robin smiled and drew himself up from the floor sitting on the edge of the bed. Ivan flushed under Robin's pale blue gaze and decided to change the subject before Robin got a little too personal. "Where are the others? Are they safe and unharmed?"

Robin nodded, "Okami contacted me telepathically a few minutes ago and told me that he was with the others and they were all headed over to Imil to the Mercury Lighthouse." Ivan made to stand up but Robin merely pushed him back onto the bed so that his head was lying back against the soft pillow, "He also said that we should rest up before we leave Bilibin to join up with them. You nearly died Ivan, you are in no condition to head out now. There are probably stronger monsters out here as well as more bandits and only Venus knows what else. I do not want to put you in any danger."

"But we have to help Okami and the others when they get to Mercury Lighthouse." tried Ivan, fighting back against the exhaustion that had suddenly found him. Robin turned his head slightly and covered a yawn. He blushed as turned back to Ivan, smiling, "It seems that we are both tiered…"

"We should get some sleep then." came Robin's reply as he stood up and walked over to the other bed. He removed his gloves, the scarf that Ivan had wrapped around his head, his chest armor and then boots. Robin turned back to Ivan and smiled when he saw that the Air Energist was still watching him. Ivan flushed and turned away a little too quickly, nearly throwing himself off the bed. Robin laughed to himself softly as he removed his belt and placed his items on the chair next to the second bed, "Get some rest, Ivan. Good night."

Robin climbed into his bed and looked back at Ivan to make sure that the Air Energist was going to go to sleep, "Good night, Robin." The Earth Energist nodded to him and rolled over, closing his pale blue eyes against the silvery moonlight that was filtering in through the window next to his bed.

So much had happened in such a short time, it seemed surreal the more Robin throught about what had happened since he had begun this wild journey with his friends. His world had been changed dramatically when his father had died, that had broken his mother's heart, and he could see it in her eyes whenever she looked at him. Robin knew why too, it was because he looked so much like Kyle. It brought his mother admonishment, knowing that she could lose him and Mamoru just as easily as she had lost her beloved husband and she relished that. To know that they could be there one moment and gone the next made her love her sons even more.

Robin did not think that he would find someone that he would grow to love on this journey. He had agreed to travel on the journey merely because it was his fault that the Elemental Stars were in the hands of those strangers and Jenna and Kraden's lives were in the hangs of those strangers. Robin rolled over against and sat up silently, making sure not to make any unnecessary noises so that he would not awaken Ivan. He could sense that the Air Energist was asleep, his aura had evened out and relaxed. Robin reached over and lifted the Mythril bag out of his leather pouch and pulled out the Mars Star. The crimson orb emitted a blood red glow that bathed the small room in an eerie light.

Robin lifted the orb in front of his eyes, amazed at the Mars Star's brilliant glow in the darkened room. The Mars Star seemed to carry a bright, burning fire within itself and this power captivated Robin, the light dancing in his pale blue eyes as he stared into the orb's depths. The Earth Energist frowned slightly before slipping the Mars Star back into the Mythril bag and then placing it back into his leather pouch. The Elemental Stars were no source of good, as far as he was concerned. His mother was in pain because someone wanted the Stars. And Ivan…

Robin turned to look over at Ivan. Ivan had nearly died because someone was probably trying to prevent them from continuing their journey to the Mercury Lighthouse to stop Satyurous and his party from firing the beacons. Robin clenched his fist, his nails biting into the palm of his hand. If he ever found out who was behind that storm, he would grab them and rip them to shreds with his bare hands. He would never allow any harm to come to Ivan, he had a feeling that the young Air Energist had been through enough to last a lifetime, he did not need any more pain.

'I want to be there for you.' thought Robin, suddenly longing to hold Ivan in his arms again. It felt so right when he took Ivan into his arms for any length of time and when he had kissed him…it had felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders, as if Ivan had the ability to take away all of his pain. Even if it were just a light kiss, there had still been a lot there. Robin smiled to himself. He had changed from the young man who had left Haidia Village and the change had been for the better.

The Earth Energist spared Ivan one last look before lying back on his pillow and shutting his eyes, finally allowing himself to drift off into a peaceful sleep. He would let Ivan sleep the next morning, if he were the first one to wake up and would be able to surprise the Air Energist with a nice breakfast in bed if he were able to pull that off. Robin smiled in his sleep, whispering lovingly one word, "Ivan…"

-~-~-~-

Gerald, Kanata, Okami, Amiko, and Mamoru had camped at the foot of a tall, snowcapped mountain. Amiko, Mamoru, and Gerald had all fallen asleep hours ago but both Kanata and Okami were wide-awake, ears alert to the sounds of the forest around them. They had just switched shifts with Gerald to allow the Fire Energist to get some sleep himself. Kanata frowned slightly and turned to look at the younger Legendary Warrior sitting across from her next to the fire, "Okami, do you think that Robin was able to heal Ivan? I am really worried about the two of them now."

Okami looked up from the fire and offered the older cross-Energist a reassuring smile, "It will be all right, Kanata. I can sense that Ivan is doing just fine, if not a little better. It seems that whoever created the storm and shocked Ivan had others intentions than trying to kill him."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kanata, surprised. Okami stretched his arms and flopped back against his sleeping bag, gazing up at the millions of stars in the sky. Kanata tossed her head back and looked up as well, the full moon in perfect view.

"Ivan seems to have gotten stronger," explained Okami, "I could barely sense Ivan's aura before, even when he was healthy, but now, it is like a blazing fire in the darkness. I think that whoever created that storm was planning on Ivan using his Psynergy to fight back against them and when he did, he triggered something in the storm that caused it to shock him with the lightning bolt. However, if Ivan were strong enough and survived the lightning bolt, instead of merely recovering, he would gain an immense amount of power from the event. Or that is how I see it at the very least."

"I think I understand, but it sounds as if the person or the people who created the storm are trying to help us." mused Kanata, "If that is true, then why separate us like this?"

"To make us stronger. The two of us are Legendary Warriors, where Robin and the others are just normal Energists who do not really comprehend the extent of their powers, or even from where they flow." Okami lifted his hands to the sky as if he could hold the stars in his hand. He made a motion to cup the moon and smiled to himself, "Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. The four gods and goddesses who rule over our powers, from which our powers flow from."

"An old Lemurian legend." murmured Kanata, surprised that Okami would know such a thing, "Who told it to you? Are you…?" Okami laughed, lifting himself off the ground with his elbows.  
  
"I am not that old, Kanata." he said, "My friend told it to me and that was only when he got his memory back. He told me a lot of the old Lemurian legends that his mother taught him and what his aunt taught him. He was very young back then, though. He would have still been in Lemuria if it were not for the greedy ways of an old man."

"What happened?" asked Kanata, turning her head away from the star filled sky to look back at Okami.

"There was a storm that night," muttered Okami, eyes turning serious now, "he was outside playing near the shore with a friend of his. They had been told not to play near the shore when the waters were rough but they barely every followed the warnings of the old ones and would usually go out when there was a storm. Before, there had never been a problem, however, there was a strange man that had arrived in Lemuria from a far away place, at least it was far away to them. He had come from Gondowan and when he arrived in Lemuria, the Lemurians welcomed him warmly, for, what had they to fear from outsiders? They did not understand that things were slowly beginning to change.

That night, he betrayed them and nearly killed my friend and his companion. They had climbed into one of the Lemurian boats when his dog ran up the dock and hidden on the deck of the boat. They looked all over for his dog but never found her and when they went to leave that was when the man who the Lemurians let onto their island betrayed them. He and his crew climbed onto the boat, silently as possible, storing what they had taken with them on the boat as well as some of the special drought that gives the Lemurians their long lifespan.

They could do nothing but sit there in the dark once them men came onto the boat. They knew that they would never let them go back home now that they had seen what they were doing and they were so young that there was nothing they could do to fight back against them even if both of them were Legendary Warriors." Kanata gasped.

"You mean…were you the other boy…?" Okami shook his head.

"I told you that I am not a Lemuria, Kanata." Kanata frowned.

"But neither is Aoshi, the guardian of the Mercury Lighthouse." Okami smiled cryptically, "There is a fourth Legendary Warrior somewhere in Weyard?"

"He is a mystery to even me. Yoru used to be friends with Ryou but it seems that Ryou has other plans for us now." explained Okami, "Ryou is the guardian of all of the elemental lighthouse. He has a yami of his own but his is far more powerful than all of ours combined. Ryou's yami was created when the elemental lighthouses were created and there is a Lemurian legendary about him. He was called the Apocalypse Energist because of his strong powers and his malicious attitude during a fight. However, for some reason when all four of the elemental lighthouses were lit, the Apocalypse Energist was not awake."

"Maybe because…the other yamis had to be awake as well?"

"Actually, to awaken the Apocalypse Energist, one would have to sacrifice the yamis of the other four Legendary Warriors because the Apocalypse Energist was too strong to be awakened. In the legend, it seemed as if his powers were working against him, keeping him sealed away." Okami paused, smiling quickly, "That, of course, is merely an old Lemurian legend told by a boy who had amnesia for most of his life."

"You seem to believe in that legend," mused Kanata, lying back on her sleeping back and propping herself up on her elbows so she could watch Okami's expression at this statement. Okami's smile did not fade and he merely cocked his head to the side.

"Do I now?" he laid back on his sleeping bag so he could look back up at the stars, "Maybe I do believe in the old Lemurian legends but I have my reasons to do so. There are a lot of truths in those old legends and many of the legends start out from the truth so they hold at least a sliver of their ancestors, right?"

Kanata giggled, "You are a very interesting person, Okami. You think about things in a very different way from the other people that I have met. It is very refreshing to have someone who thinks like you around."

"The same goes for me, Kanata. I have a feeling that everything is going to turn out for the best, but…" he closed his eyes, a familiar voice screaming painfully in his mind, "There is also something telling me that a lot is going to happen along the way and we have to be careful about the risks we take. I have been having odd visions lately, and there was a very strange one that I had back at the Inn and it haunts me more than the others. I do not even understand it myself."

"What happened in your vision?"

"I do not even know if it is a vision, or merely the result of eating Andromeda's cooking," joked Okami, trying to lighten the serious mood that had fallen between the two Legendary Warriors, "It would take a lot of explaining to do and we still have a long way to go before we get to Imil. Wait until then and I will tell you about it if you are still interested."

"Sounds like a plan to me, as long as Gerald doesn't get us lost along the way," laughed Kanata as Gerald sneezed in his sleep, rolling over in his sleeping back to face the opposite direction, "How many more days before we reach Imil?" Okami looked around the area until he spotted a cave along the path.

"We have to go through that cave-which will take only two or four hours to pass through and then we will have to walk through the snow. Thankfully it is not winter and there will not be as much snow but it would be a good idea to move fast while we are there so we can try to reach Imil before nightfall."

"Will we be able to reach Imil before the sun sets?"

"Doubtfully, it will take us a week at best and that is if there are no blizzards while we are there. If a blizzard does happen to occur, I could try to stop it with my Psynergy, though it has not fully recovered from summoning that barrier yet." Okami shook his head and he looked down at a scar along his hand, "I should have recovered all of my Psynergy by now but there seems to be some sort of problem."

"Will you be all right?" Okami smiled and stretched again, sitting up and shooting a jet of water from his right hand.

"As long as I do not try anything too fancy, I will be just fine. I have more than half of my Psynergy back now so by the time we reach Imil, I should have recovered the rest of my Psynergy and I will be ready from whatever battles may be waiting for us in Mercury Lighthouse." The Legendary Warrior sighed, "I just hope that Robin and Ivan get to us before we tackle the Mercury Lighthouse. I have a feeling that we are going to need both of them with us."

"I am getting the same feeling, Okami. However, something is telling me that we are doing something wrong." Okami rose from his pillow, looking over at Kanata as she stared at the fire, "I have been having visions myself, but they were very strange. Images of fragments, unfinished sentences, warped voices that spoke as if the owner was underwater. I think that someone is trying to stop my visions or at least make it so that I do not understand them."

"Maybe it is Ryou." suggested Okami, "It does seem that his intentions our different from our own. Yoru says that he has been different ever since they left Lemuria. They have not seen each other in years now, not after their last meeting when they nearly killed each other."

"Why did they nearly kill each other? From what you say, it seemed as if the two of them were best friends back on Lemuria." Kanata shook her head, "It does not make sense."

"People can change a lot after being taken away from their home like that." explained Okami, "Ryou merely changed for the worst, or so we think. We have no idea what he is planning and if in the end it turns out to be something bad, we will have to fight Ryou."

"But Ryou is the strongest of the Legendary Warriors, he has to be to balance out the Apocalypse Energist's powers." reasoned Kanata, "Even if the four of us were to combine powers, would we be able to beat him?"

"In power, no, but power is not everything. There is still strategy." Okami smiled and laughed quickly, "But even then we will have a hard time beating Ryou if he proves to be our enemy. I just hope that that day never comes and we are able to return all of the Elemental Stars back to Sol Sanctum."

"Do not worry, Okami, once we arrive in Imil, we will be able to ask Aoshi to help us retrieve the Elemental Stars. I am sure that he already knows about them now." Okami frowned.

"That is what I am afraid of."

-~-~-~-

The sun had just risen as Robin opened his eyes and lifted his head from his pillow. His thoughts automatically went to Ivan and he spun around to look back at the Air Energist and smiled when he saw that he was still asleep. Robin climbed out of his bed, rummaged through his pack for his clothes and left for the washroom. The Earth Energist came back a few minutes later, his hair still a little wet from washing it, droplets of water staining his dark blue tunic. He placed his clothes back into his bag, checked to make sure that Ivan was still sleeping soundly before walking out of the room again, locking the door behind him.

Robin walked through the silent hallway, down the stairs and to the kitchen where the cook was already making breakfast for the residents at the Inn. The cook looked up when she heard footsteps and smiled up at Robin, "You came in here late last night with that little boy, didn't you? Is he feeling all right now?" Robin paused in his movements, unsure of what he should say to the cook.

He smiled quickly and nodded to her, "Yes, he was just a little tiered last night because we had been walking for a long time." lied Robin, "He is still a little tiered so I want to take his breakfast up to bed for him." The cook nodded to Robin and quickly set to work leaving the Earth Energist standing in the middle of the room, at a loss for words.

In a matter of moments, the woman had made a special tray for Robin, pushed the item into the teen's hands and hurried him out of the kitchen, closing the door behind him. He went to thank her but she had already gone back to work on breakfast for the others. Sighing, Robin hurried back to Ivan and his room, not wanting to worry Ivan if he had awoken already.

Robin had a little trouble opening to door to the room with one hand and not dropping the tray, but his managed somehow and pushed the door open to find Ivan standing up next to his bed, removing his shirt. The Earth Energist nearly dropped the tray in his embarrassment as he turned to turn around, "Wait, Robin," started Ivan, pulling a clean shirt over his head, "I'm dressed." Robin smiled weakly at Ivan as he turned back around.

Ivan sat down on the bed and looked around, "I am very impressed with you, Robin. You learned how to use your new Psynergy just to save me. I heard that Cure was very hard to control even for the masters of Psynergy, if you use too much of your Psynergy it could kill you but if you use too little, the healing spell might not work the way you want it to." Robin sweatdropped. He had not heard that when the Great Healer had offered to teach him how to use Cure, it was probably a good thing that he had waited until Okami taught it to him.

Robin smiled quickly to cover-up his pause and walked over to Ivan, "I thought that you would rather eat up here instead of going down to eat. I am sure that the other guests would be rather loud and you need to rest up anyway." he explained as he set the tray down next to Ivan's lap.

"Thank you, Robin, but I'm not very-" Ivan was cut off as Robin placed a spoon full of oatmeal in Ivan's open mouth. The Air Energist's eyes widened and he swallowed, blushing slightly.

"Now, now, Ivan, how do you expect to recover fully if you do not eat?" asked Robin, smiling, "I have other ways of making you eat." Ivan's blush deepened and he bowed his head taking the spoon from Robin and eating silently, "Good boy." Robin rose from the bed and walked over to the dresser next to his bed. He gathered all of his items and placed them in the chair next to the door.

"What are you doing?" asked Ivan, looking up from his breakfast and over to Robin. Robin had taken his sword out and was now cleaning it with a cloth.

"My sword is stained from my last fight," explained Robin, "and I don't want it to get rusty so I have to clean it after every fight. I want to go to the blacksmith in Imil when we get there because I heard from a traveler that came to Haidia Village when I was younger say that the blacksmith in Imil is one of the best in Weiard. However, I am afraid that we may not have enough time to wait for him to forge me a sword."

"Can't we stay in Imil to take a break? I am sure that we will be able to stop them there, and even if we are unable to stop, they will have to rest as well." reasoned Ivan, "So we should have time to take a short break." Robin smiled, sheathing his sword, putting away the cloth and sitting down next to Ivan.

"I would like that, I heard that Imil is very nice around this time of year." commented Robin, laughing at the look Ivan gave him, "Hey, we still are only teenagers, we can't be expected to think about the Elemental Stars all the time. That would be rather selfish of everyone who thinks that, correct?"

"Well, I suppose if you were to put it that way," murmured Ivan thoughtfully. Robin stood up and ruffled Ivan's hair.

"I am keeping you from your breakfast, do you want me to leave? I could do some exploring-" started Robin, backing away from the Air Energist and making his way back to the door. Ivan stood up, nearly knocking the tray to the floor.

"You don't have to leave, Robin. I enjoy your company," he added, blushing slightly. Ivan sat back down and started to eat again as the Earth Energist walked over to the window next to Ivan's bedside. He drew back the curtains and looked out at the town. Shops were just opening up as people in their houses woke up to the rising sun. However, something at the entrance of the town suddenly caught Robin's interest, something he had not noticed in his rush to get Ivan to the sanctum.

There was an odd tree rooted next to the wooden gate at the town entrance, it almost seemed as if the tree were…human? Robin was about to turn to Ivan to ask what his thoughts were on the tree when something else caught his attention. A young man about a few months younger than Robin himself stepped through the first entrance of the town, pausing next to the tree. The young man had long, light blue hair going past his shoulders and down to his elbows with silver streaks through it and in the distance, Robin could just barely see that the man had golden eyes. An eye color that Robin had never seen on someone before, the hair color was even strange to him as well, but after meeting Alex and spending time around Kanata…he supposed that anything could happen.

The man looked as if he had been traveling for a long time. The clothes that he was wearing were torn and covered in blood and his hair light blue was in a shambles. A few young women ran up to the man, grabbing onto his arms and talking to him hurriedly. He brushed them off politely and walked away from them, leaving them behind to pout over him, as he headed in the direction of the Inn, leaning against the wooden staff in his left hand for support.

Robin now turned back to Ivan as he heard the Air Energist stand up, "What are you looking at, Robin?" he asked, curious about what kept Robin captivated for so long as he set the tray down on the dresser. Robin leaned back and pointed out at the man heading up the hill to the Inn. Ivan gasped and smiled happily, throwing open the window and leaning out, "Yoru! Up here!" The man paused in his steps and looked up; mildly surprised that someone had called out his name. His face brightened up when he saw Ivan and he ran the rest of the way, stopping near the Inn and looking up at the Air Energist.

"Ivan, long time no see." he called out, "I thought that you would be with Okami and I felt his energy somewhere near Imil." Ivan shook his head.

"I was separated from Okami by a storm a day ago or so." explained Ivan, he had lost track of time after the storm, "But what are you doing here, Yoru? I thought that you would still be in Karei Town looking after your little brother and the rest of your family." Something in Yoru's expression changed and he look away for a moment.

"Yes, well…something happened with my family and I decided that it was time for me to take responsibility of my life." said Yoru. He spotted Robin and waved to the Earth Energist, "Who's your friend, Ivan?"

Ivan flushed, "Uh, well this is Robin. He has helped me out a lot. Robin, this is Yoru, he is a friend of mine from Karei Town." Ivan turned back to Yoru, "Are you planning on heading up to Imil so that you can meet up with Okami?" Yoru brushed back his messy hair, frowning.  
  
"I have no choice," he replied, "I went to Kolima Forest because I heard someone in Xian say that they were having trouble with Tret. When I got there, I found out that Tret was turning people into trees because he was hit by something in the explosion of Mt. Aleph a while back. It gave him powers similar to Psynergy." The cross-Energist paused for a moment before looking around, "It is a lot to explain and I am afraid that not many people should hear this."

"Come up to our room, then." begged Ivan, "We're in room 10." Yoru sighed but nodded, disappearing through the Inn door. Moments later, the young man knocked on the door and Robin opened it for him, "Oh, Yoru…" gasped Ivan when he saw the man's wounds, "What have you done to yourself this time?"

"I was getting to that part." muttered Yoru, "Tret is stronger than he looks in this state. His powers are fueled by his anger at the villagers of Bilibin for there disregard for him and the trees of Kolima Forest. He has turned everyone in Kolima into trees. I saw it when I passed through there four days ago. I looked all over the town, but not one person was left in there true state. Tret and Laurel even tried to turn me into a tree but my Psynergy saved me."

"How did you get those wounds, through, Yoru?" asked Robin, nodding to the young man's tunic. Yoru fingered his clothes distastefully.

"Yes, well, I fought Tret because that was the only option left open to me so that I could save him or at least beat some sense into him so that he would change everyone in Kolima and the others he has turned into trees back into humans. However, even though I defeated him and reverted him to his original state, the battle weakened him far more than I had hoped it would." whispered Yoru, "He does not possess enough power left to save everyone who he has turned."

"That explains your wounds," started Ivan, "But not why you are going all the way to Imil. Can Okami possibly heal something like Tret's wounds?"

"I was not going there because of Okami," murmured Yoru, turning to look at the young Jupiter Energist, "It is a legend told to me by the pervious guardians of the Mercury Lighthouse. When the Mercury Lighthouse was once lit, waters flowed freely in the fountain before the elemental lighthouse, waters that have the ability to cure the sick and heal wounds of the greatest magnitude. That is the reason why I now journey to Imil. Okami does not want me helping him with this, anyway. I suppose that he feels that I might just get in the way, and he is probably right. When has he ever been wrong?"

Ivan frowned and nodded in spite of himself, "It is probably not that, though. He probably just does not want you to get hurt." tried Ivan, but it did not seem to comfort the older youth, "What do you plan on doing now, Yoru?"

"I have to rest for now, until my wounds have healed up and then I have to set out again to reach Imil before it is too late to save Tret." Robin glanced at Ivan and smiled before turning back to Yoru.

"What do you say to this? You can travel with us. We are heading up to Imil anyway and it would be pointless to separate now when we are just going to end up in the same place. Besides, you could be killed if you set out on your own." Yoru smiled at the Earth Energist.

"I appreciate the offer and I shall accept."

-TBC-

Sorry for the delay…I was going to finish this on Saturday but something came up. I will get to work on my other GS stories and then come back and get started on the fifth chapter as soon as I am done with those. Read and Review please. Sorry it is so short.


	5. The Legend and the promise

Water and Wind

By: Padfoot-chan

Sorry for the long delay everyone. Now that the summer has rolled around I am going to try to work on my stories a little more often unless my mother makes me volunteer at the hospital. I need community service to graduate from high school.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the GS character. I only own Okami, Yoru, Ryou, Daisuke, and Mamoru. Aoshi belongs to Ivan and Kanata and Amiko belong to Hoshi-chan (aka Tsuna Arashi :3)

Notes: Shonen-ai warning. Don't like, don't read. Flames shall be handed to Okami and he shall throw them into the fires of Hell **along with the flamers** where they belong. Flame me and you will see a very angry Padfoot-chan. Very angry.

Read and review please 3

Chapter Five: The Legend and the promise

"In ancient times when Weyard was still young, the four elemental lighthouses were built to protect the land from harm and to make sure that its splendor remained for centuries, perhaps even longer than that. Four Stars were created to keep the fire in the lighthouses burning; each Star held the eternal essence of its element and had its own special power.

"For further protection, the gods and goddesses that overlooked everything in Weyard, created four special Energists, each with two elements. Of Venus, there was always an Energist who held Air and Water as their element. Of Mars, there would be an Energist with Fire and Air. Of Mercury there would be an Energist with Water and Fire, and of Jupiter, there would always be an Energist of Air and Earth. To make sure that these four Energists did not lose their way, there was a fifth Guardian with the element of Water and Earth. This fifth Guardian would always keep a level head in the most terrible moments and would always lead the others along the path of good.

"These four Energists were sometimes called cross-Energists by the outsiders, but those who knew their true importance called them the Legendary Warriors, for they were warriors whom protected the sacred elemental lighthouses from any who would seek to darken the world from their power.

"However, there was another, darker secret that the Legendary Warriors kept to themselves. They were pure hearted and could do no wrong, so to balance out their pure hearts, there had to be an equally dark heart who could do nothing but wrong. The Apocalypse Energist. He was created when the Legendary Warriors were born, and to make sure that he never awakened to bring Weyard to an end, the four gods and goddesses gave him unlimited power, unlimited power that would keep him in a deep slumber for all eternity, unless a power equal to his own was sacrificed to him.

"As an extra precaution, to make sure that if the Apocalypse Energist was ever awakened, the gods and goddesses created a Savior among the five Legendary Warriors. The Savior would change from each generation of Legendary Warriors but there would always be one among them. The Savior was created to combat the Apocalypse Energist, his or her true powers awakening once the Apocalypse Energist was released upon the world.

"No one knows who the Savior is now. Only the Apocalypse Energist knows because if he ever awakens, he will go to the Savior first, drawn by their newly risen powers. It is said that the two will do battle until one comes out the victor. Their power will be so even matched, though, that the battle may go on forever. It is there, that the other four Legendary Warriors come in. They can help the Savior in the battle, adding their power to the Savior's for that extra boost so that the Savior can finally overcome the Apocalypse Energist and save Weyard from certain doom."

A small child with shoulder length light blue hair with silver streaks raises his hand, his golden eyes intently focused on the woman in front of him. "But, Auntie, you said that the Apocalypse Energist served a purpose. He was there to balance out the good and evil. What would happen if the Savior were to destroy him?" The woman paused and smiled down at her nephew.

"That is a good question, Yoru. I am not sure. Let us hope that that day never comes where we are able to find out. You could be the Savior, or even your cousin, Ryou, could be the Savior. The two of you would not want to have to fight a long, strenuous, would you?" Yoru and the boy next to him shared a long stare, their golden eyes watching each other carefully before they turned back to the woman, shaking their light blue hair. "I did not think so."

"Hey, Yoru, do you think that either of us could really be the Savior?" asked Ryou once his mother had left the room. Yoru turned back to his cousin, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's a possibility, both of us are Legendary Warriors. But you must be really happy that you are the fifth Guardian, you always keep a level head and you are our leader." Smiled Yoru. Ryou blushed, turning his head to the side and staring out the window.

"Why don't we go outside to play, Yoru?" asked Ryou, standing up and making his way toward the door. "I bet Fiori wants to go out for a walk, it's so boring inside." Yoru inclined his head, wondering if it was such a good idea to go out with those outsiders in Lemuria, but since Ryou was the one who suggested that they should go out to play…where was the harm in that?

"Sure, why not?"

----

Yoru opened his golden eyes, slowly sitting up in his head. Why had he had that dream? A memory from the past, his last moments on Lemuria with Ryou. It was something that very few people knew, that Ryou; the top Legendary Warrior was his cousin. As far as he knew, apart from himself and Ryou, only Okami knew about that information and the only reason that he knew was because he had told him after having a nightmare.

The cross-Energist rested his head in his hands, shutting his eyes tight against the thought of Ryou being of his blood. He hated everything about Ryou now. It was his fault that they had gone on that boat after Fiori; it was his fault that they were taken away from Lemuria, and it was his fault that they were separated in that storm. He cursed Ryou's very essence.

Robin had healed his wounds and he had changed out of his torn, bloody garments and into some of the spare clothes that he had brought with him from Karei Town. Yoru had managed to get his hair back into a state of decency, which he was overtly thankful for. He still could not figure out for the life of him why those woman had flocked to him when he was cover in his own blood and his hair had been in a state of disarray.

Looking out the window, he rationalized that he had gotten about eight or so hours of sleep. That was enough for him to start traveling on, but it was still quite dark outside and he was sure that Robin and Ivan were still asleep in their room. There was little time for him to sit around and wait. Tret was slowly slipping away and along with him, the humans of Kolima and whoever had been foolish enough to wonder into the depths of Kolima Forest to either figure out what was going on there and why no one was returning or had been ordered by the Lord of Bilibin to cut down the children of Tret.

He would have to leave without Robin and Ivan, even though he had agreed to accompany them to Imil. Every moment was precious and there was not a second to lose. Yoru threw the covers of him and pulled on his boots and his tunic, tightening his belt around his waist before strapping his wallet and herbal pouch to the loops in his belt. He grabbed his staff from where it leaned against the wall and looked around the room one last time to make sure that he had everything the he had come with. Yoru bent down a little, grabbed his pack where he had his clothes, foods and water, and sleeping bag, threw the strap over his shoulder and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.

The cross-Energist crept down the hallway silently, making sure that he did not make enough noise to wake up the other guests sleeping in the Inn, but he was extra careful as he tiptoed past Robin and Ivan's room. He did not want to alert the two of his presence in the corridor. Yoru hurried down the stairs, dropped his key off at the front desk and made his way to the front door, throwing it open and rushing out into the night air.

He knew that Ivan would be mad at him for having left without an explanation or even leaving them a note to tell them that he had left for Imil without them. However, it would be better that way, there was no telling how long the Holy Tree would be able to hold on to life and every minute counted against him. Yoru slipped out of the front gate of town and headed north toward the mountains, toward Imil.

----

_Yoru and Ryou chased after Fiori, the small dog running toward the outskirts of Lemuria. Ryou was a little ahead of Yoru, his longer legs carrying him further than his cousin. "Ryou! A storm is coming! Don't you think we should go back home? Fiori will find her way back to the house without us!" Yoru yelled over the blistering winds, his light blue hair whipping around in the strong gusts of sharp air._

_Ryou looked back at him, worry showing in his golden eyes. He hurried back to his cousin and took hold of his hand, "We have to go and get Fiori. Something is telling me that we have to go after her. What if the water rises and carries her out to sea?" Yoru held his free hand up to keep his bangs and hair from flying into his eyes._

_"What if we get carried out to sea?" challenged Yoru, "Fiori will be just fine. Are you even sure she came this way?" Ryou pointed over to where the ships were docked._

_"You saw her go that way, didn't you? It's gonna be alright, Yoru, you don't want anything bad to happen to Fiori, do you? She was a gift from Picard, remember?" Yoru frowned. How could he forget? Ryou tightened his grip around Yoru's hand, knowing that he had won the argument._

_"Fine, we can go after Fiori but it had better be quick."_

_"Right, we just go in there to get Fiori and then we're gone."_

----

'How true his words had been.' Thought Yoru bitterly as he walked along the dirt path. It was not like him to think about the past, especially if those memories of the past dealt with Ryou. He had looked up to him so much when he was younger, when he was still in Lemuria. He had bumped his head in the storm and lost his memory of his childhood until recently. He probably had been suppressing those past memories because they had proved too painful for him to handle even now. Ever since he had found out the truth about his adoptive parents, his memories began to come back to him in dreams.

He had had those dreams before but he had thought they were merely something he had thought up. They were becoming all the more real now and he hated that fact. It was just fine before when he had hated Ryou just because he was annoying and always acted as if he were this smartass but now that he knew he was related to him…it was twenty times worse.

He suddenly found himself wishing that Okami was there with him, at his side to say a few comforting words to him, maybe even tease him about being such a baby or perhaps coddle him to try to make him feel a little better. Even though Okami did not act as if he cared, he knew that the younger cross-Energist did in fact care for him. It was the extent of those feelings that he did not know. Just how deeply did Okami care for him? Yoru felt his face grow hot and he tried to think about something else, like the path he was walking along.

It was still night out, the full moon hung above his head to light the path with its milky light. It was not wise to travel alone in the dark. There were worse monsters lurking around Weyard in the dark but Yoru knew that he would be able to handle anything that snuck up on him in the dark. His only real worry now was getting to the Mercury Lighthouse in time to save Tret from dying, and along with him all the humans he had transformed into trees.

He understood that sometimes humans made mistakes, he was among them. He would not pretend that just because he was a Legendary Warrior that he knew everything there was to know about the world and that he could not commit some great wrong. He knew that it had been said in the old Lemurian legends that none of the Legendary Warriors could do wrong, but they could. They were only human and it was part of being humans that they were to make mistakes. However, at the same time, they were there to right those mistakes and even hopefully help to make everything better than it had been before.

Yoru paused when he heard something rustling in the bushes near him. "Is someone there?" he whispered, already summoning a powerful Fire Psynergy attack in his right hand, his left hand wrapped tightly around his staff. He heard something whimper in fright and he let the Fire Psynergy die in his hand, taking a step toward the bushes. Yoru was about to use his staff to poke at whoever was hiding but a small boy fell out of the leaves.

The cross-Energist stumbled back in surprise as the boy looked up at him with cherry-red eyes, hidden underneath shaggy red hair. "Hey, kiddo." Laughed Yoru awkwardly, "What are you doing out here by yourself?" The boy's bottom lip began to quiver and Yoru blinked at him, a confused look on his face until the boy begin to cry, the sound piercing the silent air like a hot knife through butter.

Yoru covered his ears, wanting to cry out himself. "Shh, quite kid, it's gonna be okay. Where did you come from? Do you know where your parents are?" The boy continued to cry, only louder this time. It took a while but Yoru finally managed to stop the child's tears, a hiccough pushing past his lips ever so often. "Alright, so do you think you can answer my pervious questions without trying to drown us in your tears?"

The little boy sniffled one last time before finally deciding to answer the cross-Energist's questions. "I come from Prox but it doesn't matter because my parents are dead." He sniffled again and broke out into tears. Yoru studied the boy carefully, his earlier smile leaving his face. The boy had said that he came from Prox but he did not look like a Proxian. The Proxians had abnormal skin colors, but this boy had pale peach skin, much like his own. There was no reason for the boy to lie to him and somehow he knew about Prox, very few people knew about that northern village. So he must be telling the truth.

Yoru sighed and rested his hand on the boy's forehead, ruffling his silky red bangs, "What's your name, kiddo? I do expect that someone as strange as you comes with a name." The boy was indeed strange. Even though his skin was not the same as a Proxians, his eyes, though normal looking from the pupils, were the same as the Proxians, a cherry-red.

"Daisuke, my name is Daisuke of the Mars Clan." Yoru's eyes widened at this. This boy knows about both Prox and the Mars Clan? How could that be? Could it all be true that he was from Prox and born of the Mars Clan, a second line of defense for the Mars Lighthouse.

The cross-Energist bowed his head, laughing weakly before he smiled at Daisuke again. "Do you have any family around here, Daisuke?" The boy shook his head and Yoru frowned. If he turned back around to take Daisuke to Bilibin he would only be delaying his trip to Mercury Lighthouse and that would not be a good idea. If he sent the boy on his own, he could be captured by bandits or killed by some of the monsters roaming around in the dark. It was not really his problem and Daisuke had made it this far on his own…but still, he felt some sort of attachment to the boy. Maybe it was because he said that he was Prox, the village near the lighthouse he had been chosen to guard.

"What do you want to do, kid? I am giving you a choice. Either you come with me to Imil, or you head down the road until you reach Bilibin, what you do from there is your decision and I don't care if you get yourself killed." Said Yoru, shrugging his shoulders. He had to admit, it was the truth, even with his slight attachment to the boy. He did not care whether the kid died or not if he were to leave him.

Daisuke looked toward the north, frowning slightly. "I'll go with you, mister." Yoru sighed. He had hoped that the kid would have picked the latter. He really did not need the little snot machine tagging along with him and slowing him down. What would Okami think of this?

_"Yoru! I cannot believe how stupid you are! Traveling during the night is one thing but picking up a little boy who knows about Prox and says he's from the Mars Clan! What in the name of Venus were you thinking? Do you want to get killed?"_

Yoru rubbed the bridge of his nose. That sounded a little harsh even for Okami, he might have just whacked him upside the head, tried to drown him and then dump him off in Karei Town. "You can come with me but you had better keep up. And my name is Yoru; don't call me mister ever again, okay? It makes me feel old."

"Okay, mis—I mean, okay, Yoru." Yoru sighed, shaking his head and headed back toward the path, Daisuke following close behind him.

----

_"Argh! Get him! He's stolen something from Lord Hammet's palace! Get that boy!" Okami leapt down the stone steps and landed hard on the ground, not stopping to get his balance back as five guards from the palace ran after him, their lances ready. Okami continued to run along the path, picking up dirt behind him as he moved faster, the small bundle tucked under his arm seeming worth all the trouble._

_He reached the second pair of stone steps, jumping three at a time. When he made it to the bottom, he turned a corner and ran into an alley, jumping onto some barrels and climbing onto the roof of a house. Okami jumped from that building to another, making sure to get the guards turned around on the ground so they would not be able to find him later._

_When he thought he had finally lost them, he dropped back to the ground and hurried home, turning a quick corner and running straight into Yoru, knocking both of them to the ground from the strong force. Okami groaned, finally dropping his precious bundle to the ground, his eyes spinning. "What in the name of Venus hit me…?"_

_"That…" started Yoru, sitting up and cradling his head in his hand, "would be me." Okami sat up and stared at Yoru, his deep blue eyes traveling up and down his body before he smirked, reaching over quickly and grabbing the bundle off the ground before Yoru had a chance to ask him what was inside._

_  
"Sorry about that, mister, but I'm on the run from the law." He winked at him and was about to walk away casually when three guards appeared behind Yoru and two behind Okami. "Crappit…they're smarter than I thought they were…"_

_"Come on, Okami, give us the bundle and you can go home with a warning." Said the closest guard to Okami. The boy smirked again, cocking his head to the side and closing his eyes as he lifted the bundle in the air slowly and tossed it up ever so often._

_"Sure, Richard, I'll just give this thing back to your brainless muscle heads and it will be a good day for all of us, right?" Okami opened his eyes and turned his suddenly cold gaze to Richard. "When Venus come to Weyard and commands me to do so. I know how important this is and I would be stupid to give it back to Lord Hammet. No, I think I shall keep this for myself."_

_"Come on, Okami, what good is it to you?" Yoru finally pulled himself off the ground; curious about what Okami was holding in his hands, why it was so important that five of the top guards would be dispatched from their posts around the palace to chase some little boy around the town._

_"I dunno yet but I do know that I can put it to a lot more use that Lord Hammet can. So what is it going to be, Richard? Do you want this thing so badly, that you would fight the Child of Earth for it?" Yoru's eyes widened. The Child of Earth? Only the Guardian of the Venus Lighthouse would be called that. Could it be that he had found a fellow Legendary Warrior in this small village?_

_"Okami, what will Lord Hammet say about this? He was looking forward to—" Okami narrowed his eyes at Richard, making him stop talking immediately._

_"I do not need to know what he was looking forward to, Richard. What could he possibly want to use this for? A present for Lady Layana? I do not think that he would be that thoughtful." The guards around them looked at each other, almost in agreement. Okami knew that he had them now. "So wouldn't it be better," Okami hugged the bundle to his chest, using his age and cuteness to draw them into his trap further, "if I were to get it instead?"_

_"Fine, whatever. Just don't go and pull something like that again, okay, Okami?" asked Richard as he motioned for the other guards to go back to their posts. Okami smiled and nodded, laughing playfully as Richard sighed and walked away. As soon as he was out of sight, Okami stopped laughing and turned to Yoru, his smile moving from fake to genuine in a matter of seconds. Yoru realized then that he would like to see that smile on Okami's face all the time._

_"My name is Okami. Who are you, mister?" Yoru paused at the title. It seemed weird to have someone only a couple of years younger than him calling him 'mister'._

_"The name is Yoru." They stayed like that for a couple of seconds before Okami rocked back on his heels, breaking Yoru out of his daze, "Hey, you called yourself the Child of Earth back there, did you mean that? Or were you just joking around? Are you the Legendary Warrior of Earth?" Okami stopped rocking back and forth, studying Yoru carefully for a second time, as if wondering what to make of this new boy._

_"Yes I am, Yoru, Child of Fire and Guardian of the Mars Lighthouse." Yoru smiled through his surprise at Okami knowing that he was the Guardian of the Mars Lighthouse._

_  
"So the legends are true, that the Child of Earth has Air Psynergy." Okami nodded, "That's cool. I do too but I haven't learned how to read people's minds yet, besides, Mom says that it is rude to read people's minds, that it is an invasion of their privacy." Okami frowned._

_"I can't help it, though…it's hard to control my powers, sometimes they work without me even willing them to." Yoru blinked._

_"Couldn't you stop them?"_

_"I don't know when they're going to start so there is nothing that I can do to stop them." Okami rubbed his arms and averted his eyes from Yoru's; "You must think I'm a freak now." Yoru smiled and shook his head, reaching over and resting his hand on Okami's shoulder._

_"Not at all. I'm just glad that I was able to meet another Legendary Warrior. I don't care if you can control your powers yet or not, it just means that that is something you are going to have to work at in the future. It is going to make you stronger in the end." The younger cross-Energist blinked up at Yoru as he continued to smile down at him._

_"I've never…thought about it like that." He smiled and bowed his head to Yoru, "Thank you, for not being afraid of me or thinking that I am a freak."_

_"No problem. We Legendary Warriors have to look out for each other, right?" Okami nodded, laughing to himself. Yoru rubbed the bridge of his nose and glanced down at the bundle that Okami still cradled in his arms, "So, what was so important that five of the palace guards would chase you all over town?"_

_"It's kind of stupid, really." Mumbled Okami, sticking out his tongue as he began to unwrap the bundle. "I just wanted to see how they would react if I broke into the palace and took something out of there. I didn't know that they would make such a big deal out of something like this, though." He pulled out a small white stuffed animal rabbit._

_The sides of Yoru's mouth twitched slightly before he doubled over with laughter. "All that trouble, just because of a little white rabbit? If word gets out that the top guards of Karei were chasing a little boy around just because he had stolen a stuffed animal from the palace, their reputation would be ruined." Okami turned the rabbit around so that it was facing him._

_"Really? Wanna help me spread the word?"_

_And that was just what to two boys did._

----

'We were pretty carefree when we were younger. I wonder when we began to change? After the Elemental Stars were taken from our care? But that was long before we met. I guess it sort of just snuck up on us in the end.' Thought Yoru as he and Daisuke continued down the trail. The sun was rising off in the distance, bathing the awakening land in a blood red light.

"Hey, mister, what are you thinking about?" Yoru's eye twitched and he turned around, leaning down to grab the boy's collar to shake some sense into him.

"I told you, don't call me 'mister'. My name is Yoru. Yo-ru. Got it?" Daisuke nodded, gulping. "Good. As to what I was thinking, that is none of your business, kid." Daisuke frowned as Yoru let go of his collar and started walking again. He could tell that it was going to be a long walk to Imil already.

-Morning: On the road to Imil-

Okami threw his thick cloak around Mamoru, hoping that the extra clothing would help keep the boy warm. He was shivering himself but he was used to the cold weather because of his Psynergy. The cross-Energist looked back to see Kanata carrying Amiko in her arms, wrapping her cloak around the both of them to fight off the cold. Gerald was a little behind, probably faring the worst of them.

"Gerald!" he called over the wind and snow. The Fire Energist looked over at him, raising his arm to shield his eyes from the snow, "Do you need me to help you?" Gerald shook his head, moving through the snow a little faster. Okami sighed and knelt down next to Mamoru, taking the boy into his arms so he would not have to walk through the snow on his own.

"How much further do we have to go, Okami?" asked Kanata when she reached Okami's side.

"It is still going to take a long time, Kanata. We just got out of the cave an hour or so ago. The road to Imil is easy to lose and hard to find again so we have to take out time. Even without this snowstorm, it would have taken us about a week to reach Imil. This is going to set us back a great deal unless it stops soon but I don't sense that it will do that." Okami turned to face the wind, allowing the ice cold gusts to blow back his hair, "I could try to stop this but it seems unnatural. I just hope that it stops before Ivan and Robin pass through Bilibin Cave.

"Neither of them has traveled here as far as I know, so they will not know the way unless they can follow the path. I am starting to get a little worried now."

"Don't worry about it too much, Okami. Robin and Ivan are both smart boys. If they can't find the path, I bet they will just camp out until the storm stops." Smiled Kanata. Okami shrugged his shoulders. "How long could this blizzard possibly last for, anyway?"

-Earlier: In Bilibin-

Ivan sat up in bed, stretching his arms and yawning as he started to wake up. The door to his and Robin's room opened and the Earth Energist walked in, a smile touching his lips when he spotted the Air Energist awake in bed, a sleepy smile on his face. "I'm glad to see that you finally woke up, Ivan. Did you sleep well?" asked Robin as he walked over to Ivan's bed and sat down on the edge of it. Ivan flushed a little and nodded before he leaned over quickly and kissed Robin. The Earth Energist smiled again, making Ivan blush even more. "What was that for?"

Ivan bowed his head, fiddling with his hands before he muttered a soft reply, "Do I need a reason to kiss the person I like?" Robin laughed and pulled Ivan into a hug, "So you really do like me, Robin?" Robin pulled away slightly and brought his lips to Ivan's; letting his actions speak for him rather than use words. He thought it would be nicer that way too.

"What do you think?" he whispered once he pulled away. Ivan smiled, a little dazed from their last kiss. Robin flopped back on Ivan's bed, staring up at the ceiling as Ivan watched him, a comfortable silence settling between them.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Ivan after he decided what to say to break the silence. The older Energist glanced at him, wondering what he meant by that. "I mean, about us? You and me? What are we going to do about our relationship from here on out?"

"I have been thinking a little about that myself…" muttered Robin, lifting his hand in front of his face and studying the calluses that his sword had created there. "I already know that the people of Haidia Village would disapprove, as for my mother…I do not know what she would say if she I were to tell her that I liked you in that way." Ivan moved over in the bed until he was lying down next to Robin, resting his head on the Earth Energist's shoulder and drawing little designs in the light blue fabric of Robin's tunic. "I don't care what they think though, she can disown me and I wouldn't care. I do know that I want to be with you and no one can stop me from continuing to want that."

"There is no disagreeing with an Earth Energist when they want something." Whispered Ivan, remembering back to what Kanata had said jokingly in Vault about Earth Energists. "I would feel bad, though, if you were kicked out of Haidia Village all because of me. I don't want you to be banished from your hometown." Robin tugged on Ivan's arms a little until he brought the Air Energist up so that he was lying on top of him, "Robin?"

"As long as I have you by my side, I'll have everything that I could ever want, or need. To tell you the truth, Haidia was starting to feel less like home every day. I would have eventually left on my own before long. It's better that I had a reason for leaving rather then just walking out of town." Robin kissed Ivan's forehead lightly, "For now, I suppose we just have to keep our relationship a secret. I don't know how the others will react to the news if we tell them. We just have to act like there is nothing going on."

Ivan sighed. "That sounds like it is going to be hard to do, Robin." Robin smirked down at Ivan.

"Hey, I know I can behave, can you?" Ivan flushed, waving his hand at the older teen.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Robin smiled and hugged Ivan again. "We should probably get out of bed now. I still need to get ready. It is a long way to Imil and we are going to have to use every minute that we have available. You don't want to make the others fight Satyurous and Menadi on their own, do you?"

Robin shook his head, finally releasing the Air Energist from his grasp. Ivan rolled off Robin and sat up, running his fingers through his hair to try to get it back to normal as Robin propped himself up on his elbows, happily watching Ivan as he tried to fix his hair.

"Robin…" started Ivan as he paused in his movements, glancing back at Robin to see if he was listening to him. "Would you really…be willing to leave Haidia Village just because you wanted to stay with me?"

"Of course, why would I tell you that if I did not mean it?" asked Robin, pulling himself up into a sitting position next to Ivan, "My feelings for you, Ivan, people may think that it's wrong, but I don't. I care for you deeply, maybe a little more than I am willing to even admit to myself. I've never felt this strongly about anyone in my life before. I don't think I would be able to stand it if I were apart from you for any length of time. Maybe I am just being a little clingy but that's how I feel."

Ivan smiled weakly, throwing his arms around Robin's neck and burying his face in Robin's tunic, "I hope it does not have to go that far, for you to leave. We can still stay together and keep our relationship a secret from everyone else. I don't really like public displays of affection, anyway." Robin began rubbing circles into Ivan's back, resting his chin on the top of the Air Energist's head.

"I guess if we have to do that, we will. I don't mind, really, as long as we can get to be like this." Robin buried his nose in Ivan's hair, taking a deep breath, committing the smell of Ivan's hair to memory before he released him again, rising from the bed. "You should get ready. I'll get your breakfast and then you can wake Yoru once you're done."

"Why not wake him now?" asked Ivan, reluctantly climbing out of the bed as well.

"I think that we should let him rest for as long as we can. He did lose a lot of blood from that battle with Tret. I'm not even sure if he is ready for travel yet but we haven't much of a choice. The longer we wait, the more time we give Satyurous and his little group time to fire the Mercury Lighthouse beacon." Robin ruffled Ivan's hair lovingly. For some reason he just wanted to stay like that but he knew that he should go and let Ivan get ready. He pulled Ivan to him for one last hug.

"You're so huggy today." Teased Ivan, his voice muffled against the fabric of Robin's tunic.

"Don't spoil this for me. I almost lost you." Whispered Robin, now understanding why he had wanted to keep Ivan in his arms. He bit down on his bottom lip, knowing that if he thought about what had almost happened to the young Air Energist earlier, that he would start to cry again. "Ivan, I won't let anything bad happen to you on this journey. That's a promise. I won't let anything harm you. I promise to protect you with my life."

Ivan pulled away slightly and turned his solemn violet eyes up to Robin's pale blue ones, burning with a hidden fire, "And I promise to protect you, Robin."

-TBC-

Finally! The fifth chapter is done. But, I have a question for everyone Who's Paddy's favorite Earth Energist that wants to get into Ivan's pants? 3  
  
Robin: What!? Don't say that! I don't want to—I mean, yes I do—wait! That's not what I meant! Padfoot-chan!

I'd like to take this time to brag that Water and Wind is now 76 pages long and is 56,465 words long. I'm just so happy. blows nose and starts crying on Robin's shoulder I'm so proud of my baby!  
  
Robin: blushing Can you remove that question?  
  
3 Answer the question and I'll dedicate the next chapter to you :3 Ah fluff, I'll dedicate the sixth chapter to whoever reviews to this before I finish the next chapter.  Read and review! And remember, Paddy loves you Obviously I'm drunk on all the fluff between Robin and Ivan XD


	6. Nostalgia

Water and Wind

Written by: Padfoot-chan

Thank you ever so much for the lovely reviews :3 I really appreciate the ones that I receive. Thank you. I had so much fun writing this chapter. I think I might have gotten a little carried away getting into Kyuhi and Ryou's past but I just love them so much and again, I had fun writing this chapter so it got a little long. I hope everyone enjoys it, though. Also...sorry if there are a lot of typos. I was rushing a little.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the GS character. I only own Okami, Yoru, Ryou, Daisuke, Kyuhi, and Mamoru. Aoshi belongs to Ivan and Kanata and Amiko belong to Hoshi-chan (aka Tsuna Arashi :3)

Notes: Shonen-ai warning. Don't like, don't read. Flames shall be handed to Okami and he shall throw them into the fires of Hell **along with the flamers** where they belong. Flame me and you will see a very angry Padfoot-chan. Very angry.

Also, as promised to my lovely reviewers (who cares if there were only two, it makes it easier on me anyway) this chapter is dedicated to: **Tsuna Arashi **(aka **Hoshi**) and **Barbelo** who seems to be new to FF.Net, so I'd just like to welcome you as well :3

Read and review please 3

Chapter Six: Nostalgia

"Robin!" Ivan stood in the middle of the doorway to Yoru's room, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the empty bed and the empty room. "Robin!" He called again, this time putting a little more urgency in his voice to get the Earth Energist to hurry to him. After waiting a few seconds, he heard someone running up the wooden stairs and Robin stumbled toward him, nearly barreling into him in his rush to reach Ivan's side.

"What is it?" asked Robin, gasping for breath as Ivan pointed at the empty room. Robin looked up and examined the room before turning to Ivan, breathing a sigh of relief, "From the way you were calling out my name, I thought for sure something bad had happened to you. I nearly had a heart attack back there." Ivan shook his head, tossing his wet locks from side to side, sending droplets of water flying here and there.

"I'm sorry, Robin, but what about Yoru? He's gone and he didn't leave anything behind! Not a note, nothing. What if something bad happed to him? Do you think someone could have come in and kidnapped him or something?" Robin placed his hands on Ivan's shoulders, looking around the hallway before kissing Ivan's forehead in hopes of calming the young Air Energist down. "Something serious could have happened to him. We need to…"

"You need to calm down." Said Robin, tightening his grip on Ivan's shoulders slightly, "There is no signs of a struggle. Yoru is gone because he left on his own. He took all of his stuff with him, made his bed and the door was locked before you came in here, I presume. The window is closed as well, so even if someone had broken in, they most likely would have used the window as a source of escape. If they had, they would have been unable to close the window.

"Yoru left of his own free will, Ivan. Perhaps he wanted to give us some more time to rest or hurry to the Mercury Lighthouse to try to save Tret. I do not know his motives but I do know that no one kidnapped him in his sleep." Ivan looked around the room one last time before looking up into Robin's pale blue eyes and nodding. He rested his head on Robin's chest and closed his eyes. "Don't worry about it too much, Ivan. I am sure that Yoru was just really worried about the humans that Tret turned into trees. He does not want the Tret to have innocent blood on his hands when he dies."

"I guess you're right," mumbled Ivan. Robin smiled and ruffled Ivan's hair, and leaning down to kiss his cheek quickly.

"Now that that is settled, what do you say to breakfast?" The Air Energist nodded as Robin led him down the hallway after closing the door to the empty hotel room. "I'm not sure when you would be ready to set out on the road again, but it would be best if we were to leave Bilibin soon. Okami and the others should read Imil in about a week, maybe more or less depending on the weather up there. I don't really want to take any chances, but if the weather is good right now, it would be wise to take advantage of it before it worsens."

"And if the weather is bad now, it could change by the time we reach Bilibin Cave. But that could go either way, Robin." The Earth Energist nodded solemnly as they entered the lobby and sat down at one of the tables near a window.

"That's a chance we are going to have to take. We are both rested up and Satyurous and Menadi are not going to wait around for us to catch up to them. They are most likely headed to Mercury Lighthouse, since it is the closest to Haidia Village and they would be stupid if they were to pass up a chance like that." Robin leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head and looking out the window as some of the little kids ran by.

"I don't understand why they would try to do something like this, though. The elemental lighthouses were extinguished for a reason, right?" Ivan nibbled on his bottom lip, his hands reaching for the little glass cup in the middle of the table. He twirled it around in his hands for a moment, helping keep his hands occupied while he thought. "But I just can't help thinking that…there is something more to all of this, Robin. Why would someone build the elemental lighthouses in the first place if they were going to be such a danger to the world? Okami has told me stories about there being something darker hidden in the lighthouses, something that would only be released if the beacons were fired again."

"What is this something?" asked Robin, turning his attention away from the window and leaning his elbows on the table. Ivan shrugged his shoulders, sending the glass cup flying back to its original spot with his Air Psynergy. It spun a little, making a gentle clicking noise until it came to an abrupt stop.

"Okami never went into any great detail about it, but he said that it was some great evil, something that would aid in the destruction of Weyard. It's more of a person, than a real force, though. He said that there was one for each elemental lighthouse and that it happened after the Elemental Stars were released from the care of the Legendary Warriors and placed in Sol Sanctum." Ivan thought about it a little more, trying to remember all the details. He did not want to give Robin any false information. "There was a spell placed on the Elemental Stars, and I think the lighthouses as well. It was maybe something to get back at the Legendary Warriors or perhaps an extra precaution to stop anyone from trying to light the elemental lighthouses. The spell created opposites of the four Legendary Warriors; it was perfect for something like world destruction. Using the opposites of the people who were charged with protecting Weyard from the elemental lighthouses."

"Maybe at one time the elemental lighthouses were good, but we know that if they were lit now, it would mean the end of Weyard as we know it. We cannot just let this go without doing something about it. We are the only ones who know about this and that means that we are the only ones with the best chance of doing something about it." They stopped talking as a woman walked up to them, notebook in hand. She smiled to them and bowed. 

"My name is Kimiko, can I take your order?"

"Kimiko…where have I heard that name before…?" muttered Ivan, turning away slightly before smiling back at the girl. "I don't really know, can you tell us what you have?" She continued to smile before glancing between Robin and Ivan.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier. You're friends with Okami, right?" The two Energists looked at each other, surprised before nodded back to the girl, suddenly interested in what she had to say about their friend. "Okami stops here a lot when he travels, sort of as a favor to my mother, she runs this Inn and all. He never lets us help him out, though, so maybe we could pay him back by helping you two out."

"What did you have in mind, Kimiko?" She giggled. 

"I'll tell you after you guys had something to eat. I know just what to get you and it's on the house. We always try to do the same with Okami but he wouldn't hear of it and just so you know, I'm not taking your money for the food either." Ivan and Robin blinked at each other as Kimiko hurried off to get their breakfast.

"I should have known," laughed Ivan, "Kimiko is the name of the girl Okami's parents wanted him to marry. He came to Bilibin when he was younger so that he could let her down gently, he didn't want to settle down, saying that he would rather die out on a battle field first." Robin lifted an eyebrow, "He just didn't want to marry, really. He was still so young that he thought girls were gross and had coodies."  
  
"So, are they getting married now? Now that Okami is a little older? It sounds like Kimiko really likes Okami." Said Robin, leaning back in his chair again and folding his arms across his chest. Ivan smiled weakly, resting his elbows on the table now and dropping his chin into his hands.

"I think Kimiko does like Okami, but since it was Okami's parents decision for them to get married in the first place, it is Okami who gets to call it off. He still hasn't said if he wanted to marry her, and he did call it off when he was younger. He felt guilty about it when he grew up so he decided to help out around the Inn whenever he was near Bilibin and spend time with Kimiko." Ivan sighed, "She's more of another little sister to him than anything else. Plus, I think that Okami would rather be with Yoru than anyone else. He may tease him, yell at him for every little thing, and get mad at him but Yoru is the only one that Okami will really open up to and Yoru is the only one who truly understands him."

"And you?"

"Okami may find me more of his intellectual equal, it is sort of hard to keep up with him sometimes, but I do manage. However, I think that he feels he needs to protect me from his past. I don't know my about Okami myself. He pretty much appeared out of thin air when he arrived in Karei Town with his parents. We were fast friends but he and Yoru…they had something different." Ivan tapped his foot against the floor, laughing quickly, "He would always get Yoru to do dangerous things with him. Like raiding the palace or trying to see how much they could say before Lady Layana tried to kill them.

"Yoru being a Legendary Warrior helped their relationship as well. They both had a special responsibility to Weyard that I would never even begin to comprehend back then, I still do not understand much of it now." Ivan touched a finger to his lips in a thoughtful way, "Besides, the way Okami acts around Yoru, you can tell that there is something more between them, even if they don't want to admit it. Okami treats Yoru the way he does because that is the only way he knows how to show he cares. From what little he has told me about his birthparents, it seems that they did not really show him much love when he was growing up."  
  
"Why didn't they want to do that? With someone like Okami, you would automatically think that he did get a lot of love when he was growing up." Commented Robin, remembering the way he was treating by his parents. His mother and father would always make sure that he knew they loved him and as brother. "I mean, Okami is a pretty sweet kid."

"He is, but that is mainly because of the people he grew up around and wanting to make sure that the people he cared about, knew that he wanted to be there for them to protect them no matter what it did to him. His godfather had a hand in him being this way, though."

"Who is Okami's godfather?" Ivan smiled and started laughing again.

"He's really cool. I think you might know him, Robin. His name is Kyuhi and he lives in Haidia Village." Robin started a little bit, grateful that Kimiko had not brought their food yet or he would have spit out what he had been eating.

"No way! Kyuhi? Kyuhi hasn't been in Haidia Village for three years. He left after the storm, saying that he was on his way to Karei Town to look after his godson." Ivan's violet eyes darkened.

"That couldn't possibly be. Kyuhi would have contacted Okami before he left and Okami hasn't said anything about Kyuhi for a while now." Ivan shook his head, "Not to mention that Kyuhi hasn't been to Karei Town in his entire life. He was forbidden to see Okami because of something that happened when he was younger. We all thought that he was still in Haidia Village, though…I don't know what could have possibly happened to him. For him to leave Haidia and not tell Okami…" 

"Kyuhi is pretty strong, though. I've seen him do some amazing things with his Psynergy. He's like no other Energist that I've seen before." Said Robin, "Maybe we could find him once we are finished getting the Elemental Stars back. We might even see him on the way to Imil."

"I hope so…you should tell Okami everything that you know about this when we meet up with him in Imil. He'll want to know about his godfather status. I don't want him to worry but he has a right to know more than any of us." The Earth Energist nodded in agreement. "But you knew Kyuhi? What was he like? Do you know what his Psynergic powers were based on?"

Robin laughed at all the questions, even though a little part of him was feeling a little jealous at all the interest that Ivan was showing in Kyuhi. And Kyuhi was only five years older than him…but on the other hand, that would make Kyuhi eight years older than Ivan. "Yeah, Kyuhi looked after Felix and me when we were younger." Robin narrowed his eyes slightly, hating himself for even saying that traitor's name. Ivan noticed this and began to reach across the table to take Robin's hand when Kimiko came back. He pulled his hand back quickly, blushing crimson and stuttering. Robin smiled and leaned across the table, ruffling Ivan's hair.

"Here you go, boys, my mother's specialty, beacon and eggs." Said Kimiko as she set the two plates in front of them.

"Wow, this looks great!" complemented Ivan once he stopped stuttering. Kimiko laughed and pulled a chair from another table so she could sit next to them, "Thank you so much." 

"It tastes even better." She laughed as they started to eat. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I don't even know your names yet." Robin turned to her after he took a bite out of his breakfast.

"My name is Robin, and the little piglet over there is Ivan." Ivan bowed his head, blushing even more than he was before. Kimiko giggled at him. "So, Kimiko, tell us how long you've been working here?"

"Wow, it's been ever since I turned seven, I guess. It wasn't that we were short on work hands or anything, I just always wanted to help my mother out and so, she thought that I was old enough to help out around the Inn then." Kimiko blushed lightly, averting her eyes from the two boys, "I also wanted to impress Okami by showing him that I was old enough to work and do things for myself. Okami told me, when we first met, that he would never do something for someone who could not do anything for themselves. He was so smart and brave back then…I was so taken with him, even at such a young age. No matter what I do, though, he still treats me like a little kid, more of a little sister than an equal.

"You're so lucky, Ivan. He talks about you a lot, and he also talks about some Yoru-guy a lot, too." Ivan coughed a little. If only she knew what he did, but it was still only speculation, there was still a chance that Kimiko had a special place in Okami's heart, other than him just thinking about her like a sister. "And the two of you seem really close, I hope to be that close to Okami one day." Robin and Ivan looked at each other, wondering what to say to this. They could not lie to the girl and tell her that it was not what she thought, but from the way she put it, it was what she thought and they did not want to lie to someone that would let them eat for free, even though it was her way of paying Okami back for all the help that he had given her and her mother.

"So, Kimiko, when did you first meet Okami?" asked Robin, hoping to get the subject away from him and Ivan. Kimiko leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling with her pale green eyes.

"Let's see…Okami came here a couple of weeks after his parents were killed." Robin stopped with his fork an inch from his mouth and looked over at Ivan. The Air Energist turned his eyes away from him, looking out the window sadly.  
  
"Okami's biological parents were killed? By who?" Kimiko shrugged her shoulders.

"Dunno, but I do know that Okami disappeared after they died and he didn't show up until a couple of weeks later and that was when he came to Bilibin to try to call off the wedding his parents had arranged with mine when were we still only babies." Explained Kimiko, "He was about five then, so cute in his little dark green tunic and cape. He always carried around this little dagger that was too big for him so he used it as a sword whenever he fought. Anyway, even though I was two years younger than, I knew that there was something special about him and that I wanted to be by his side when I was older. It may sound a little corny but that's how I felt then."

"It doesn't sound corny at all, Kimiko. It sounds like you are really in love with Okami." Smiled Ivan. Kimiko reddened and turned away, waving a hand at the Air Energist as she used the other one to cup her cheek. "What happened then? Okami didn't return to Karei Town until he was six-years-old, a little after Yoru came back from Tolbi with his parents."

"He stayed in Bilibin for about a month, maybe more, helping my mother take care of the Inn, do some repairs to the roof and things like that. His Psynergy helped him out a lot, too." Robin frowned.

"He could use Psynergy back then?" Ivan nodded.

"He rarely stayed in Karei Town when he moved into one of the houses with his birthparents. They were always out on trips for longs periods of time and when they did come back, Okami's tunic was torn and covered in his own blood. It looked like he had been through a lot while he was traveling, but I also felt that he had grown strong. It always was the same each time he returned, only each time he was much stronger than when he left." Said Ivan, "He later told me that he had been training his Psynergy with his parents. Since he is the Guardian of the Venus Lighthouse, his parents wanted him to be as strong as possible in case anyone were to try to fire the Venus Lighthouse beacon."

"Okami seems to have a lot of important things hanging on his shoulders and for his parents to push him that hard…" Kimiko shook her head, "Even Kyuhi, Okami's godfather, tried to stop them from pushing him to the breaking point and Kyuhi was best friends with Okami's parents. He rarely went against their decisions, especially when it came to his training and how they raised him.

"He came here once, though, but it wasn't to see Okami, he said he had come to see me and talk to me about something. I was away in Kolima with my father so I missed him and my mother said that he seemed in a hurry to get back to Haidia Village so he couldn't go to Kolima to speak with me." She sighed, "I really wish I had been here when he came. Okami speaks so highly of Kyuhi, he sounds super nice, too, like the kind of person that would get along with just about everyone he comes in contact with."

"That was Kyuhi." Smiled Robin, "I wonder what could have happened to him, though…" Kimiko blinked, inclining her head thoughtfully at the Earth Energist.

"What do you mean by that, Robin? I thought that Kyuhi was in Haidia Village." Robin nodded, playing with his fork now, twirling it around in his fingers.

"He was. Do you remember that storm that happened in Haidia Village only? That big one?" The girl nodded in acknowledgment, "Well, we lost four people that day, when a boulder from Mt. Aleph tumbled from the mountain and crashed into the river. Kyuhi said that he felt somehow responsible, that if he had been at the river instead of at the plaza, he could have stopped the boulder. I don't think even Kyuhi had enough power to do it on his own, though. He is pretty strong, but I don't know…not even the elders were able to keep it at bay long enough for us to get out of there…" Robin paused as he thought back to the event carefully, the memories of that horrible night rushing back to him like a tidal wave. Ivan wished Kimiko was not sitting there with them or he would have been able to hold Robin's hand, rub his shoulder or maybe even kiss him to try to make him feel better.

"So you grew up in Haidia Village, Robin?" asked Kimiko, a little oblivious to Robin's pause. "That is pretty far from Bilibin, what are you doing out here?" Ivan glanced away from Robin, knowing that he would not answer her question at the moment.  
  
"We need to meet up with Okami and some of Robin's friends in Imil. It's a long story, really, but it is very important that we leave for Imil as soon as we can." Explained Ivan, wondering if the girl would allow him to leave it at that.

"Okami can be impatient sometimes," mused Kimiko before nodding to them. She rose out of her chair, pushing it back into the table she had gotten it from, "Well, I should get back to work before the other customers start to get mad and complain to my mother about me. When you two get ready to leave, just tell me."

Ivan waited until Kimiko was gone before he tapped Robin's hand, breaking the Earth Energist out of his thoughts. He looked around, "Uh, where'd the kid go?" Ivan smiled weakly and sighed, resting his head down on the table. "Sorry about spacing back there, I was just thinking about something."

"About your mother…and about your father." Whispered Ivan, folding his arms on the table and resting his chin on his arms now, "I didn't read your mind so you don't have to worry, I could sense your emotions. You were very sad and it just started after you were talking about the storm and how the elders of your village were unable to hold the boulder back long enough. I just put two and two together. I am very sorry, Robin. I wish there was something more that I could do to ease your pain." 

Robin shook his head, "It's all right, Ivan. There is nothing that either of us can do about what happened then. That was three years ago and maybe if I had known how to use Psynergy then, I would have been able to do something to have helped out, but I didn't so there is no use in dwelling in the past." He smiled to himself, hoping that he could follow his own advice, "Besides, Satyurous and Menadi played a part in causing that storm. If I can retrieve the Elemental Stars from them, then maybe I could fight them and avenge my father's death."

"What about saving your friends? Jenna and Kraden?" asked Ivan carefully, wondering if he had gotten the names right. "That is part of the reason you are on this journey in the first place, isn't it?" Robin started. He had totally forgotten about Jenna and Kraden, now he really felt bad.

"Yeah, I want to save them too, of course. I just think…" he paused, "that it would save time if I just said retrieving the Elemental Stars instead. Since Satyurous and Menadi are the ones with them and they also have Kraden and Jenna…it would be the same thing, right?" The Earth Energist laughed nervously, knowing he was just blabbering nonsense now. 

Ivan furrowed his brow and decided to change the subject since Robin was finding this one so uncomfortable. "Well, since we are finished with our breakfast, don't you think that it is time for us to leave Bilibin?" Robin nodded in agreement and they rose out of the chairs and went back to their room to get their things together so they could leave.

----

Daisuke flopped down onto the ground as he and Yoru stepped onto a wooden bridge. "Yoru! We've been walking for hours! Can't we take a break? You have got to be tiered too. You are human, aren't you?" The cross-Energist looked back at boy and frowned.

"Look, I didn't want you to come with me in the first place. I have to be in Imil and I have to be there as soon as I possibly can. If you are just going to complain the whole way, then you are better off going back the path and staying in Bilibin." Said Yoru bluntly, tapping his finger against his staff. "I don't tier easily, anyway. You don't travel with the people that I have traveled with and get exhausted after only a couple of hours of walking.

"But, again, it's your call, kid. I don't need you with me and as far as I am concerned, you are just a big annoyance to me anyway and you are slowing me down." Yoru turned away from Daisuke before he had a chance to answer him and continued along the bridge until he reached the other side of the path. 

Daisuke narrowed his eyes, something dark and foreboding flashing in their seemingly innocent cherry-red depths before he jumped up and hurried after the cross-Energist. "Wait up for me, Yoru! I'm coming!"

----

Alex brushed back his bangs as he entered the darkened room, the heels of his boots clicking loudly on the marble floor. There was a warm flame crackling in the fireplace a few feet in front of him and next to that was a large, comfy armchair with a young man sitting in it. The Water Energist sat down in the chair across from him, letting the back of his head rest against the chair.

The other man looked up and over at him before smiling, sweetly, "Was it that bad, Alex? I would have thought that you would be happy to get rid of Daisuke and let him attach himself to someone else for a while." Alex looked over at the man and sighed, shaking his head.

"I had forgotten just how cute Daisuke was at the age, a little immature but he still retains his mind. That is either a good thing or a bad thing but I do know that I am going to miss him while he has to travel with that idiot cross-Energist." The man across from him started to laugh.

"That happens to be my cousin you are calling an idiot." Alex rolled his eyes as the man continued, "Anyway, Yoru does not trust Daisuke enough to tell him what he has in mind yet, so he is just going to have to wait until he gains my cousin's trust before he can make his move. In the end, everything will play out and we will all get what he want."

"Why are you working from the shadows, Ryou?" asked Alex, lifting his head from the chair and looking over at the Lemurian, his golden eyes glittering in the firelight as he watched the Water Energist carefully. "You have the power to make this all happen in a second, why do you want to wait months for the lighthouses to be lit?"

"Because that is the way it has to happen, my dear Alex. Felix wants his parents back, so he will have to help Satyurous and Menadi for the time being. You need to make sure that those fools do not end up triggering the lighthouses defenses, as well as making sure that they trust you and not alerting them to your real plans and motives for helping them fire the elemental lighthouse beacons." Ryou pushed his light blue bangs out of his eyes before he continued, "I also want Okami and the others to become stronger. Once the final lighthouse it lit, he will be able to awaken. It is a little more complicated than you think, awakening the Apocalypse Energist, but once the four yamis of the Legendary Warriors are awakened and released, I will call them to me and then…"

"I understand." Murmured Alex, cupping his cheek in his hand and leaning his elbow against the side of the armchair. "In other words, you think it is going to be more entertaining this way, correct?" Ryou smiled and started to laugh again.

"You know me all too well, Alex. That is exactly what I was thinking. It would be quite entertaining to see how all of this plays out. How far are Satyurous and Menadi from the Mercury Lighthouse?" Alex closed his turquoise eyes and searched for the two Fire Energists.

"They should be there in a couple more weeks, they are behind Okami and the others by a weeks." Said Alex.

"That is good, they will not act until they sense that the Mercury Lighthouse is in danger and they will only move when Robin and Ivan reach Imil as well. Robin and Ivan are behind Satyurous and Menadi by a day, maybe less. Hopefully they will not run into each other. Make sure that Satyurous and his little group get turned around for a couple of days. I want the young Energists to get to Imil before them." Alex nodded and rose out of the chair, walking out of the room without another word.

Ryou stood up once Alex left the room and he disappeared behind a velvet curtain in the corner of the room. The cross-Energist entered a small room with a four-post bed centered in the middle, a man only three years older than him sitting on the bed, blindfolded, gagged and chained. Ryou smirked and walked over to him, pulling off the blindfold and gag. "Ryou, why are you doing this? You cannot keep me here forever and you know that. Okami is going to get suspicious when he hears that I was on my way to Karei Town and no one has seen me since then."

"Yes, Kyuhi, I understand that but what you do not understand is that I want Okami to get suspicious and I know that he will begin to think that I am behind all of this when he discovers that you have gone missing." He let out a defeated sigh, "However, I will eventually have to let you go someday, you are correct there. That day is not today, though. I suggest that you make yourself comfortable, Kyuhi. Stress is bad for you."

"Tell me why you are doing this, Ryou. I know you are not like this. When I found you that day…" Kyuhi paused and shook his head, "When I found you at the docks and brought you back to Contigo with me, I thought you and I would become good friends. Didn't you trust me?"  
  
"Trust is not the matter, old friend." Smiled Ryou, sitting down on the edge of the bed and turning to look at Kyuhi over his shoulder. "For my plans to work, you need to be out of the way for now. It will only be for a little while longer but you know too much and Okami has to do this on his own, without knowing what is going on. The elemental lighthouses need to be lit and you know the reason why. I can let you go to Lemuria, but that is all."

"Then you can go with me there, too." Tried Kyuhi, struggling against the chains binding him now, "Why do you have to be here? Wouldn't you rather be in your home?"

"No, I need to be here. The elemental lighthouses will be lit and everything will go as I have planned. It always does. I am the fifth Legendary Warrior for a reason." He stood up and placed the gag and blindfold over Kyuhi's mouth and eyes again. "Try to relax, things will go a lot smoother if you just relax."

----

_It was raining in Contigo. It had never rained like this before and the waters around Atteka were rough, unfit for travel by boat. However, somehow a lone boat made it to the docks a few miles outside of Contigo. No one was there, though. All the people of Atteka were safe and sound in their homes in Contigo, avoiding the stormy weather._

_Ryou climbed out of the small boat, falling onto the grassy shore, gasping for breath. Yoru had fallen out of the Lemurian ship a few days ago and he did not know what had become of his beloved cousin now. He had managed to get back to the Lemurian ship after they docked in Raripero Town and were about to leave for Tolbi. Babi had discovered him and was going to use him as another scholar. He snuck out of their room in the Inn and used one of the lifeboats on the Lemurian ship to leave the strange town._

_Having never been out of Lemuria before, the Legendary Warrior did not know where to go and just allowed the waves to take him. A storm stuck his boat a day ago and he was tossed about in the sea for what seemed like forever. He was just glad to be on land again, even if it was wet from the rainstorm. He wrapped his arms around his tiny frame, shivering from the rain and the cold winds blowing around him. He had not eaten in two days, not having thought to steal any food while he was still in Raripero Town._

_The young Lemurian wrapped his arms around his thin frames, hoping that this would help warm his body. However, the cold, unforgiving rains continued to beat down on him, the scathing winds adding to the ice-cold water crashing down on the boy. He pushed himself off of the ground and began to stumble forward, even though his vision was blurry and the winds kept pushing him to the side and sometimes back down to the ground. He could not give up, he would not give up. He had to stay alive so that he could search for Yoru once the storm was over. His cousin was his responsibility, both because he was his younger cousin and because a Legendary Warrior and Ryou was supposed to look out for the other Legendary Warriors and make sure that no harm befell them. It would be a little hard for him to do that in the condition he was in but he was still more worried about the others than himself. It was the curse of being the top Legendary Warrior; the others came before him even if he was on the brink of death._

_Why was everything in front of his eyes spinning so fast? Ryou stopped in his tracks; hoping that would stop the spinning but it only seemed to make it worse than it was before. Someone was coming toward him; he could see their silver hair in front of him as the world came in and out of focus. The person was calling out to him now, asking if he was all right. The Lemurian went to say something but he was slowly slipping from consciousness, his entire body slowly growing numb. He felt himself falling to the wet ground again, only this time it was as it were happening to someone else and he was merely watching. The person reached him just as the world before him grew dark and he slipped from consciousness._

_Kyuhi knelt down next to Ryou, lifting the Lemurian off of the wet ground. He turned around to see his mother and father running after him. "I guess you were right, Kyuhi, about sensing someone at the docks." Said his father once they reached him._

_"Who do you think he is, Bradley?" asked Kyuhi's mother, turning to her husband as he knelt down to look at Ryou, "He does not look normal."_

_"He must be like Kyuhi, there is no other answer for it. He is an Energist." Bradley lifted Ryou off of the ground and started back to their wagon that Kyuhi had stolen when he felt a strong force coming toward Contigo. Kyuhi narrowed his silver eyes before his mother took his hand and lead him back to the cart._

_"Come on, you don't want to keep Hama waiting, do you?" Kyuhi flipped up the hood of his tunic and hurried after his father. There was something about Ryou that made him a little wary maybe it was because he could sense an immense amount of power flowing from him but at the same time there was something else, something that made him want to trust Ryou. It was gnawing at the back of his brain and he could not put it out of his head that this strange little kid was dangerous._

----

Menadi fell back onto the ground with a dull thud after a branch came swinging back at her, slapping her across her face. Felix turned around, trying to hide the smirk on his face when he saw the regal Fire Energist sitting in the dirt with a red mark across her face. "Wipe that smirk of your face, Felix! You did that on purpose, didn't you? I swear, one of these days you will go too far and then I will be able to kill you!"

The Earth Energist rolled his russet eyes before he held out his hand to help Menadi to her feet. She smacked his gloved hand away, smoothing out her dress before getting to her feet and brushing back her hair. "Chill, Menadi. I didn't do it on purpose. I had forgotten you were behind me. I mean, you weren't barking orders like usual so, when I didn't hear your voice, I assumed that there was no one behind me."

Menadi harrumphed and pushed past Felix roughly, knocking him into a tree. He narrowed his eyes at her but smiled when he noticed the twig and snail in her hair. Jenna paused in her tracks and turned around, "Come on, Felix, what's keeping you?" Felix was about to hurry after them when two hands grabbed him and he was pulled into a tight hug. He reached for his sword and was about to draw it when a wisp of turquoise hair fell onto his shoulder. Only one person…

"Alex, will you get your hands off me before I kill you?" Alex let go of Felix and when the Earth Energist turned around to glare at him, he saw that Alex was pouting. "Where in the name of Venus have you been? You ditched us a couple of days back so we had to find our way to Imil all on our own."

"Don't worry, I was keeping an eye on you." Smiled Alex. Felix shivered. He did not like how Alex had said that, the very idea of the Water Energist keeping an eye on them scared him more than it probably if someone else had said that. "You are on the wrong path anyway. The path that you are taking right now is going take us a lot longer to reach Imil and the terrain is far worse. We need to head over this way." He pointed over at another path.

Satyurous paused and looked over at the path, frowning over at Alex. "Are you sure about this, Alex? It looks like that would take us longer to get to Imil." The Water Energist's eyes flashed with some foreign emotion before he smiled again.

"Trust me. I am from Imil, remember?" Satyurous nodded and they began to head down the path that he had indicated. He sighed once he stepped onto the path, a little worried about the fact that he had almost been caught. They could not possible know what he was planning, though. It was all too perfect and he was the perfect actor. They would never suspect anything, not even once the curtain rises for the final act. All he would have to do was contain his excitement for another few months when they lit the final elemental lighthouse in Prox. No one would be able to stop them then. He would have what he wanted and no one would be the wiser. Ryou had it all planned out and Ryou's plans always played out the way that he had planned.

----

_Kyuhi was sitting in a stool next to the bed Ryou's was sleeping in when the Legendary Warrior woke up, his golden eyes searching the room from something familiar, anything at all. Nothing. This room was nothing like the rooms in Lemuria. It was too primitive. Everything was wrong. His stomach churned and he covered his mouth. That is when he turned, suddenly spotting the boy with a stoic expression on his pale face. "Who are you and where am I?"_

_They were like fire and ice. Even their eyes were opposite. Gold upon silver. Their personalities ran that way as well. Maybe that was why they got along so well later on in life._

_"My name is Kyuhi. You are on the continent Atteka, in the town of Contigo." Explained Kyuhi, his voice calm as his exterior. It was strange behavior for someone as young as he but he had always acted older than he really was. He would later call it his curse since it made people think he was so reliable before they even got a chance to know what he was really like. "I found you shipwrecked on the shore. You are lucky that I found you when I did or else you probably would not have lasted out this storm on the beach."_

_Ryou sat up in the bed slowly, resting his forehead in the palm on his hand after he brought his knees up to his chest. "I thank you for finding me and helping me." Atteka… Contigo…where were they? Lemurians rarely spoke of the outside world. He knew he should have taken Picard up on his offer of learning about Weyard. Too late now. At least Yoru had studied with Picard, but a lot of good that would do him. There was no telling what kind of trouble his cousin was getting into now. Even if he managed to stay out of trouble, there was still the question of whether or not Yoru would be able to find his way around and without a ship he would not be able to find his way back to Lemuria even if he did know the way._

_"What is your name?" asked Kyuhi. It seemed as if he were struggling to keep the conversation up. Was he planning on doing something? Ryou turned his eyes back to Kyuhi's, studying him carefully for a moment before he spoke._

_"My name is Ryou and before you ask me where I am from, I am from Lemuria, in the middle of the Eastern Weiard Sea." Kyuhi narrowed his eyes slightly. "I know it may sound strange but it is true. I do come from Lemuria. My people and my civilization are as old as Weyard itself. We have seen civilizations rise and fall before their time. We even saw Weyard when it was bathed in the protective light of the four elemental lighthouses." He did not understand why, but he felt that he had to make Kyuhi believe him about this. That he had to tell him about the elemental lighthouses and about when they were still lit, even though he did not see it himself. His parents had told him. His parents had told him about the glory that Lemuria once was, instead of the dying island it was now._

_"Protective? I had always thought that since the elemental lighthouses were unlit, that they were a danger or that the Elemental Stars were stolen and then lost." Mused Kyuhi. He stood up and walked over to the window, pulling back the curtain to reveal a giant violet building in the background, the stormy clouds still hovering in the sky as the rain poured down around them. "Jupiter Lighthouse is only a few days away from Contigo, which is why the Anemos used to live here."_

_"The Anemos?" asked Ryou, staring off at Jupiter Lighthouse. Kyuhi nodded, finally smiling as his silver eyes watched the Jupiter Lighthouse as well._

_"Yegelos, the leader of the Anemos Clan founded Contigo a long time ago. The Anemos are the Jupiter Clan, Air Energists and wielders of winds almighty power. There are only four Energists left in Weyard that are apart of the Anemos Clan." Kyuhi turned back to, "My father, my mother, my sister and I are the only ones left alive that are direct descendents of Yegelos, and we are the only Air Energists left in Contigo." So that was why he felt something coming from Kyuhi. He was an Air Energist._

_"You are an Energist…?" asked Ryou. Kyuhi nodded, a little surprised that he would have caught that out of all that he had said. The cross-Energist sighed, relieved that he was able to have found a fellow Energist in all this confusion. "I am an Energist as well, actually, I am a cross-Energist." Again, Kyuhi was the one to be surprised by Ryou's words._

_"My mother told me about the cross-Energists, how they were supposed to be these great people. Aren't you a little young to be a Legendary Warrior?" Ryou pouted._

_"I must be at least a year younger than you, besides, Legendary Warriors have been on Weyard ever since the elemental lighthouses were created. We were considered gifts from the gods and goddesses, to watch over the lighthouses and make sure that they remained lit for all eternity and that no one tried to change that." Ryou sighed, hugging his legs to his chest and resting his chin on his knees. "The Elemental Stars were taken out of the elemental lighthouses a century ago, maybe more. They where then given to each of the four Legendary Warriors who protect the elemental lighthouses directly. Once they died, they were given to the next generation of Legendary Warriors, and after them, they were given to the current Legendary Warriors._

_"However, the guardians of Haidia Village, a village in north Weiard, felt that Energists as young as we were not fit to protect the Elemental Stars and thus, they were taken from us and sealed away in the deep chambers of Sol Sanctum." He leaning his head to the side slowly before continuing with his story, "Someone broke into Sol Sanctum late one night, after the Elemental Stars were delivered to Haidia Village and this person whom broke into the Sanctum, they placed a spell of some sort on the Stars, perhaps it was an extra precaution to keep someone from firing the four elemental lighthouses again and returning Weyard to its former glory. The spell was a very complex one, though. I am sure it must have taken this person a long time to master it and an even longer time to complete it. The spell was placed on each of the Elemental Stars and in turn on each of the elemental lighthouses as well."  
  
"What was this spell?" asked Kyuhi. He was curious now, especially since Ryou was being so serious about it all._

_"It created opposites of each of the Legendary Warriors." He paused. The fifth Legendary Warrior, him, he was supposed to be kept a secret from the rest of the world, some sort of safety matter that seemed to be needed. So, he would remain a secret. "Maybe it was a sign that whoever cast the spell on the Elemental Stars hated us and did not want the elemental lighthouses lit. Or maybe it was someone mad at the world. The opposites of the Legendary Warriors are called yamis. There is one sleeping in each of the four elemental lighthouses, surrounded by a protective barrier that will allow none to disturb them, not until that elemental lighthouse is lit. The yami ages and progresses with its hikari, which is what the original of the Legendary Warrior is often called. This is so that if the yami ever awakens, their hikari will fight them. The one who deserves to win will do just that. However, if the yami were to win the fight, they would move from the elemental lighthouse and commence destroying Weyard."_

_Kyuhi furrowed his eyebrows at this. It seemed pretty farfetched, too bizarre to be possibly true. However, this boy's story carried some truth to it. How much, Kyuhi could not know and may never be able to find out. His parents knew little of the matter, outside of rumors. They had turned deft ears to the world as soon as they lost relatives in the outer continents and his own Air powers were too weak to send out his mind to the distant reaches of Weyard. For now, he would just have to believe Ryou, like his heart was telling him to do._

_He was going to say something to Ryou when the door to the room opened and his younger sister ran in, clutching her small teddy bear her arms. "Big brother, big brother!" she cried, running to Kyuhi and throwing her arms around his waist. Ryou blinked at them. It was almost like when Yoru had been younger, before he decided to save face around Ryou and try to act tough._

_"Hama, what is it? Did you have another nightmare?" The little girl nodded into her brother's tunic and he sighed, a smile slipping onto his face. "What was it this time, Hama? Was it those pink fluffy bunnies attacking you in your sleep again? Or were they blue this time?" Hama pulled away, her pale violet eyes suddenly very serious as the tears continued to stream from the corner of her eyes. "Hama?"_

_"Something happened to our baby brother." Kyuhi blinked for a moment._

_"We do not have a baby brother, Hama, remember?" Hama shook her head quickly. "It was probably all just a bad dream. You should get back to bed before Mother and Father see you up and blame me for it. You don't want me to get in to trouble, do you?" Hama sighed, shaking her head again, only this time much slower. "Okay then, run along." She turned away, glancing at Ryou for a moment before hurrying out the door._

_"She sounded pretty adamant about that whole thing, why didn't you hear her out?" asked Ryou, watching Kyuhi as he continued to start down the hallway even after Hama had returned to her bedroom._

_"It is because I already know what she was going to say to me. If she told me, I would be obligated to tell my parents." Kyuhi turned away, looking back out the window and leaning against the sill. "A year from now, maybe a little less, my mother will give birth to a baby boy and name him Ivan. Someone will attack Contigo, murder my parents, knock my sister and me out and take Ivan from his crib." Ryou goes to stand up, but a wave of nausea keeps him seated in the bed.  
  
"Why don't you warn them? Don't you even care that you have their life in your hands? The life of your baby brother?" Kyuhi turned to Ryou, his eyes locking with the Lemurian's once more._

_"Don't you think I want to? I want more than anything to prevent this from happening but it has to happen. If it does not, it could screw a lot more things up in the future. The only reason I had this vision was so that I knew what to do afterward. I was not supposed to stop it from happening in the first place." He closed the curtains and crossed the room until he reached the door, turning around to look back at Ryou with his door on the handle. "Precognitive dreams can be very confusing, they have even been known to drive some Air Energists to insanity. They are unable to handle the knowledge that they have the key to either salvation or destruction of all of Weyard and there is sometimes nothing they can do about it. I am not one of those Energists. I understand my limitations and use that information to my advantage._

_"If there is anything that you need, do not hesitate to call out for me. I will be in the room next to this one, so I will come as soon as I can." Ryou nodded to him, turning away and staring down at his small hands. "I suggest that you do get some rest, though." Kyuhi was about to pull away when Ryou called out to him._

_"Kyuhi…thank you."_

_A couple of days after the young Lemurian first landed on Atteka, he recovered enough that he was able to get out of the bed he had been provided, not well enough to travel far distances, but just good enough to move around the house and even take a walk around Contigo. The villagers did think him a bit odd. From his light blue hair to his bright golden eyes that seemed to shine with their own mysterious light. However, they grew to like him quickly. He had a special charm of his own, placing his hypnotic spell on anyone and everyone that he came in contact with. Even Kyuhi slowly grew to like him, even if there was something in the back of his mind telling him to be wary of the young Legendary Warrior._

_Kyuhi's parents, being the kind people that they were, offered to adopt Ryou after he had been living with them for two weeks. He did not want to be rude and he was beginning to doubt that he would ever be able to return to Lemuria, or find his cousin for that matter. His past life, all of it was lost to him now. The people of Contigo were nice enough, they treated him like one of their own, so why not stay with people who cared about him like the people of Lemuria had before them. So Bradley and Elizabeth adopted the young Lemurian and he was added to the family._

_"So, I guess you are going to be my brother now?" asked Ryou when he walked up to Kyuhi. Kyuhi was in his secret spot, a little knoll surrounded by trees and shrubs that overlooked the docks. He glanced back at Ryou and smiled, patting the ground next to him. The Lemurian nodded and sank down on the ground next to him, looking out at the calm waters as a gentle breeze blew around them._

_"Haven't you wondered…" he started in a whisper, making Ryou look over at him to make sure that he caught each word, "Why I don't look like Mother and Father? Or Hama for that matter. Has the thought ever crossed your mind?" Ryou nodded, not really wanting to say anything. "I won't say that I'm like you, washing up on Atteka by boat. It was something else. _

_"Father was on a journey of sorts, traveling around Atteka and studying the animals, cataloging them and drawing sketches of them in his books. Well, one day, he was passing by Jupiter Lighthouse when something standing on the steps of the lighthouse caught his eyes." Kyuhi smiled to himself, his eyes still trained on the waters ahead of him as he pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs before he continued. "It was a small boy in only a ragged white tunic that went down to his knees. He was covered in bloody cuts and bruises; his shoulder length hair was in a shambles, twigs and leaves sticking out here and there. Everything about him seemed lost and hopeless, everything except his eyes. They seemed to be the only thing that seemed alive, had any hopes of being saved. At least, that is what Father told me."  
  
"So, he found you at Jupiter Lighthouse, all by yourself?" Kyuhi nodded, finally turning away from the scene in front of him to smile at Ryou._

_"Everything before that, I cannot remember. It isn't that I have a bad memory or anything, I remember with perfect clarity seeing Father standing there on the path, staring up at me. Everything afterwards, returning to Contigo, meeting Mother for the first time, being pampered…Hama being born…I remember all of it. Every last memory up to now." He tilted his head onto his knee, "Everything before meeting Father at Jupiter Lighthouse, it's all dark, like I was born then, when I met Father. Maybe there is something wrong with me. My mind could be blocking out my previous memories because something terrible happened to me. I do not know. I did say that I was part of the Anemos Clan…that much I know is true about me and my connection to Father, Mother, and Hama."_

_He held out his hand and summoned a small whirlwind to twirl and dance around in his hand. "Apart from that, I do not know who I am, who I was…anything before this life of mine. I do not want to seem ungrateful to them from finding me, I would have died if Father had not come to the lighthouse when he did. It is just sometimes…"_

_"You need to know where you truly belong. If you would have changed if you had stayed where you were before?" asked Ryou._

_"Yes. I probably should not think that way but I cannot help myself." He leaned back slightly and fell back onto the grass with a gentle thud, resting his arm on his forehead to shield his eyes from the Sun. "Father said that when he found me, I was cut and bruised and my tunic was torn. Maybe whoever raised me…whoever I lived with before had done that to me. I could have turned out to be the same way if I lived long enough to have a child of my own that is."_

_"Well, I am glad that you did not turn out to be that way, that you somehow managed to make your way to Atteka. If you had not, from the way you told me, I would have died when I reached Atteka and passed out." Smiled Ryou, "You told me that you sensed something…and so you came rushing to see what that something was. I cannot thank you enough, Kyuhi, really. You saved my life and I will always be grateful to you for that."_

_"Yeah, well don't forget that I did save your life. I could use that favor in the future." Kyuhi smirked, closing his eyes now. "But still…I wonder where I came from. I couldn't have just appeared out of thin air, could I?"_

_"Dunno…I've never heard tell of someone with your eye color or hair color before, not on someone as young as you, anyway."_

_"Yeah, thanks. I wonder…maybe…" he paused and shook his head, "Never mind. It's nothing. I was just thinking something crazy." Ryou blinked at him but decided to let it go, enjoying the sounds of nature around him. 'Maybe Ryou has something there. I just need to check it out tonight…'_

_----_

_Kyuhi sat up in his bed in the middle of the night, his eyes shining in the moonlight that drifted in front the open window in his and Ryou's bedroom. He grabbed his cloak, throwing it over his shoulders and trying the laces in the front before he slipped on his boots and hopped out the window as silently as possible, not wanting to wake his Lemurian roommate. However, golden eyes flashed open as his footsteps began to fade. Ryou sat up and pulled on his boots and cloak before hurrying out the window after Kyuhi._

_Contigo was silent. Everyone in the small village was now asleep, except for the two boys who were creeping through the town as quietly as possible. Ryou knew it was pointless for him to remain quiet for much longer. Kyuhi would be able to sense him any moment, even though he tried to keeps his Psynergic powers suppressed as much as possible. The older boy was leading him through the moonlit town, ducking behind barrels every now and then before hurrying off again, only faster each time until Ryou was running to keep up with him._

_Kyuhi finally slowed his pace when they reached the old ruins in the far reaches of the town. Kyuhi paused, looking down at the strange drawings on the stone beneath him before he passed through the two large columns and slowly made his way up the steps and through the door of the old ruins. Ryou hurried after him, the heels of his boots clicking against the stone pathway as he went. He walked up the steps a little slower, not wanting to alert Kyuhi to his presence just in case he did not know he was following him yet. The Lemurian pushed the door to the ruins open carefully and poked his head inside, looking around to find Kyuhi._

_Kyuhi was holding a lighted torch up to one side of the ruins, examining the ancient symbols on the stone. He frowned slightly; sweat breaking out on his forehead. "I don't understand…" he whispered as he continued down the wall, still studying the symbols engraved there. "All of these scriptures speak of the same thing…enter the temple to find your answers, enter the temple to find your answers." Kyuhi groaned, setting the torch back in its stand so he could ruffle his hair in frustration. "Kids my age should not be trying to solve things even the most accomplished scholars have a hard time figuring out." He paused. "The temple…the temple…could it be that…there is something more to these ruins?" He was about to move over to the back of the small enclosure when he heard a loud crash behind him._

_Ryou had leaned in to get a better look at the ruins when he slipped and fell onto the ground. Kyuhi turned around, jumping in fright. He was not allowed to be in the ruins, only the scholars were allowed in there, which was why he had snuck out of his house in the dead of night to explore them. He tapped his foot on the ground as he waited for Ryou to pick himself up off the floor. "Hey Kyuhi." He said laughing nervously, "Funny seeing you here. I was just sleepwalking so I'll go back home now."_

_"Wait, Ryou." Ryou stopped before he had a chance to run off. "It's okay. Besides, I know you don't sleepwalk, that would be Hama's department." Ryou smiles and nods. "Are you all right? That sounded like it hurt."_

_"It's okay, I'll be fine. What are you doing out here anyway? You know we aren't supposed to come here unless one of the scholars asks us to go with them." Kyuhi sighed as he turned to trace the symbols on the walls with his fingers._

_"I thought that maybe something here would be a key to unlocking my past, before I came to Contigo and all that, you know? I mean, I am part of the Anemos Clan, one of the descendents of Yegelos, so there has to be something in these ruins that will help me. Why did all of my memories stay when I was at Jupiter Lighthouse? Why did I chose to remember that rather than something else? Why was I in the Jupiter Lighthouse in the first place?" Ryou nodded and walked into the small room, resting his hand on the wall as well, looking at the strange symbols._

_"I wish there was something I could tell you that would help you out but all of these symbols are Proxian to me." Joked Ryou. Kyuhi blinked at him, almost as if he wanted to ask what 'Proxian' was but if he did want to ask him something, he kept his questions to himself._

_"Well, it is pretty simple. You see this symbol right here, the one that looks like the moon?" asked Kyuhi, pointing to a small crescent moon shaped symbol. "Well, that represents night. And this over here…the drawing of a person with the light around them, I think that might be one of the four gods of Weyard."_

_"Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars." Recited Ryou, remembering the stories his mother would tell him and Yoru when they refused to go to bed because they were having too much fun playing together. Kyuhi nodded his approval._

_"Yes, but the problem is, I can't tell which one. Since it is by the moon…it could stay for to things. The basis for the gods' power, which means that this god could either be Jupiter of Mercury, since both of their powers stream from Luna. Whereas Venus and Mars' powers are from Sol, the Sun." Ryou nodded. "So maybe…a god or goddess…being either Jupiter or Mercury…appeared here…in Contigo," Kyuhi pointed to the small group of houses that symbolized ancient Contigo, "At night, when there was a crescent moon, perhaps. I still do not understand what that part means, but the rest of these ruins are the same. They say if one seeks answers, they can find those answers deep within the temple if they are strong enough to claim them for themselves, at least I think that is what is says. Very perplexing…" Ryou nodded again, this time in agreement before he turned his head, covering his mouth as he began to yawn. "I am sorry about having to wake you up this late at night. We should go back home. I'm not going to be able to find anything out tonight."_

_"I'm okay…besides, I followed you because I was worried about you. You didn't ask me to come after you, remember?" Kyuhi nodded as he slipped his arm around Ryou's shoulders._

_"That's all well and good, but still, I didn't send you home like a good big brother should have. It is getting late anyway and there is no telling if one of the scholars might want to study the ruins to help get to sleep." Kyuhi steered him out of the ruins, closing the door behind them._

_"Have you ever thought about going back to your home, Ryou?" asked Kyuhi when they were back in the village, once again walking through the sleeping village. The Lemurian looked at Kyuhi, a little shocked and for some reason hurt. "I would miss you if you ever left, but it would not be my place to keep you from your real home…from your real family." Ryou turned away, looking down at the ground and he smiled weakly, wondering mildly why he had been so shocked and hurt when Kyuhi asked him that question._

_"I was thinking about going back home. I do miss my mother and father." Ryou shook his head, "But it is impossible to go back. I don't know the way back home because I've never left before and I was kidnapped. Me and my cousin, Yoru, were kidnapped by someone by the name of Babi."_

_"L-Lord Babi?" gasped Kyuhi before covering his mouth. He has said the name a little too loudly. They waited for a moment before Kyuhi continued, a little quieter this time. "He's famous. Everyone in Weyard knows of him. He founded the town of Tolbi not to long ago. I heard that he is a great man." Ryou rounded on Kyuhi, the first and last time he would ever raise his voice to Kyuhi since they met._

_"Some great man! He stole from my people, he kidnapped me and my cousin and when he found us, he didn't even think of returning us to our homes." Ryou shook his head, tears streaming from his eyes, "He thought about using the two of us as scholars to help him research Alchemy. Then the storm hit…Yoru fell overboard and that was the last I ever saw of him. I was hoping that…he somehow managed to swim to shore or at the very least wash up there._

_"When the ship docked in a town called Raripero…I snuck out at night, returned to the ship and unhooked a lifeboat from the side. I didn't know where to go, I kept getting turned around until a strong storm stuck the boat…it lasted for days, with the rain and the wind it seemed a lot longer." Ryou wiped the tears from his eyes, "That's when I washed up here on Atteka…and you found me…"_

_"So that was what happened to you…" whispered Kyuhi, "I had always wondered what could have made someone travel out in a storm like that with only a little boat. As for your cousin, if he is anything like you, I am sure that he is safe and sound." Ryou groaned._

_"Yoru couldn't possibly take care of himself. He is hopeless without me." Kyuhi smiled._

_"I think you should have a little more faith in him than that. Maybe someone kind and helpful found him and decided to take him in and look after him." They began walking through the town again. Ryou tossed the idea around in his mind, finding it very plausible that something like that could have happened to Yoru. He was lucky enough to wind up on Atteka and have someone find him and take him back to their town, so why couldn't Yoru have the same luck that he had?_

_----_

_More than two weeks previous, Yoru washed ashore on the continent Weiard just as a couple were riding by with their young son, Okami. Okami jumped out of the carriage when he sensed a familiar aura and found the boy on the beach, nearly dead. "Mother! Father! Come quickly!"_

----

Okami opened his eyes. He had opted to stop their journey to Imil because the weather was steadily growing worse by the minute. They were not in a small igloo he, Gerald, and Kanata had built to keep the biting winds and snow out. A small fire, curtsy of a certain hot-headed Fire Energist was burning in the center of the igloo. Okami was the only one awake now, knowing that there was still reason to keep watch even though they were seemingly safe in the small enclosure.

It was always times like those that made him think back to his past, back to when his parents where still alive and he was allowed to visit Kyuhi in Haidia Village whenever he wished. It was rare for him to think back to when he first met Yoru, though. He had been traveling with his parents, training and strengthening his powers as much as he could when he sensed something, another Legendary Warrior nearby. The Legendary Warrior of Fire, guardian of the Mars Lighthouse.

Okami leaned back against the cold wall of the igloo, glad that he had his blanket wrapped around his body to keep out the cold. He had always wondered how Yoru had managed to wash up on the shore during that storm and where he had come from. However, Yoru did not know himself. He had probably bumped his head while out at sea and lost all of his memory aside from his name.

Okami kicked at the fire with the tip of his boot, making the flames jump up a little, sparks flying here and there to melt the snow that was still on the ground. If the storm held up, it would take them a week to get to Imil, maybe more. They had not made much progress. Visibility was poor even without the snowstorm. The dark clouds had blotted out the Sun, casting the snow-covered land in darkness and Gerald could only hold Fire Psynergy in his hand for so long before he had to stop and take a break.

Mamoru shifted in his sleep next to Okami, sliding down from the wall and landing softly in his lap. The cross-Energist blinked down at him before smiling. The Earth Energist was quite young but his powers were slowly growing to be powerful. The same could be said for Amiko, Gerald, and Kanata. Okami sighed, brushing back Mamoru's sandy blonde hair before turning and looking out toward the entrance of the igloo, still seeing snowflakes being carried on a strong wind. They would have to start up again once the wind began to die down. There was no helping it. They had to get to Imil before Mercury Lighthouse was lit. It was his duty to make sure that none of the elemental lighthouses were lit.

----

_A month, maybe more after Yoru and Okami had met, a meeting was called for by the four gods and goddesses of Weyard. Each of the Legendary Warriors were to meet in the center of Weyard, a few miles outside of Tolbi._

_Okami and Yoru were the first to arrive, followed shortly by Kanata and the Legendary Warrior of Water, Aoshi. Ryou, the final Legendary Warrior took the longest. When he arrived, he looked as if he had wanted to say something to Yoru, perhaps hug him but he kept those thoughts and emotions to himself as the voices of the four gods and goddesses spoke to them._

_"The five of you have been chosen, born into this life…this power because you are needed." Said the first voice, "Okami, Legendary Warrior of Earth; Yoru, Legendary Warrior of Fire; Kanata, Legendary Warrior of Air; Aoshi, Legendary Warrior of Water; and Ryou, Legendary Warrior of Sol and Luna."  
  
"You may know each other, or this may be the first time you have met." Continued another voice, "However, the five of you must work together for the greater good. There shall be no conflicts between you. We have taken precautions to make sure that that never happens."  
  
"Even though the Elemental Stars were taken from you by the elders of Haidia Village, there is still something that the five of you can do to ensure that the elemental lighthouses are never lit and that your yamis are never released."_

_"You will guard the lighthouses." Said another voice, "Always make sure that they are safe. Each of you will be given the power to do so whenever there is need."_

_"Also, tell no one of this meeting. Tell no one of Ryou's presence and status as the fifth Legendary Warrior. As far as everyone else is concerned, there are only four Legendary Warriors, each to protect one of the four elemental lighthouses. Do not ask why, just do as we tell you."_

_The five Legendary Warriors look at each other before bowing and saying together, "We hear and we obey the great gods and goddesses of Weyard."_

-TBC-


End file.
